tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576390140835023892018-03-02T09:23:29.299-08:00Behind the BadgeThe blog for former and current employees of the San Rafael Police Department.
The story of the San Rafael Police Department. The facts, the history. Told by those who know: The officers, the civilians and the families.Gene Penningtonhttps://plus.google.com/101641436202990214526noreply@blogger.comBlogger106125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57639014083502389.post-73604251481003655032018-02-05T08:21:00.001-08:002018-02-05T08:25:23.599-08:00History Watch –“The Year in Review for 2017”<p><b>San Rafael Police Department</b></p> <p>The Year in Review for 2017</p> <p><b><u>January:</u></b></p> <p><b>01/09/17</b> – SRPD reported that they made 35 DUI arrests during the holiday season. Acting on a grant, they had extra patrols from 11/9/16 through 1/1/17. One arrest was a driver who had three times the legal limit in his system.</p> <p><b>01/13/17</b> – SRPD reported that they were launching its first Spanish-language Citizen’s Academy. The 10-week academy was scheduled to start in March.</p> <p><b>01/18/17</b> – A clerk at the Seven-Eleven store on B Street was injured when he attempted to stop a man from stealing a burrito. The clerk got into a fight with the man and he got the burrito back, but the suspect then threw a large rock through the front window. Booked for felony assault was Edward Metz, 58 years.</p> <p><b>01/20/17</b> – Police arrested Stephen Carbonaro, 48 years for selling meth in the area of First and B Street. The Special Operations Unit had been investigating Carbonaro for several months as it was reported that he was selling drugs to homeless people.</p> <p><b>01/24/17</b> – Several citizens reported that a man walking on Bayview Street by B Street was exposing himself to women and calling out to them. Officers located the suspect, Willie Jesse Jones, 37 years and booked him on his birthday for lewd acts and violation of probation.</p> <p><a name="_Hlk503886735"><b>01/24/17</b></a> – Police responded to a report of a large fight at a food truck at Kerner and Canal Street. A group of 15 people came up to the truck and took a tip jar and started to vandalize the truck. The group fled when officers arrived, however officers rounded up seven suspects who were booked for robbery.</p> <p><b><u>February:</u></b></p> <p><b>02/03/17</b> – Marco Vicente-Gonzalez, 31 years was sentenced to 8 years in prison for molesting a girl under the age of 14 years. After he was arrested, Vincente-Gonzalez bailed out and fled. SRPD later learned that he was in Guatemala. He was located there and returned to the U.S. where he plead guilty.</p> <p><b>02/10/17</b> – A food truck driver struck a 34-year-old pedestrian at Kerner and Larkspur Street. The driver fled the scene and the victim was taken to the hospital with major injuries. The suspected driver turned himself in the next day. Gerardo Mata-Reyes, 45 years, of Richmond was arrested for felony hit-run.</p> <p><b>02/13/17</b> – With the legalization of marijuana coming up in less than a year, county supervisors and other cities started to make pans on how to handle the drug.</p> <p><b>02/19/17</b> – Kyle James Jargiz, 22 years, was ordered to stand trial after he was accused of drugging a female visitor to his residence in 2016. The female woke up the next morning in the suspect’s bed with no clothes on.</p> <p><b><u>March:</u></b></p> <p><b>03/01/17</b> – SRPD and the MCSO conducted a training exercise with the SMART train staff to prepare for rail emergencies. The train was scheduled to start operating later in the year.</p> <p><b>03/01/17</b> – A body was pulled from the San Rafael Canal at the San Rafael Yacht Harbor. The person was identified as Jay Christian Mansbridge, 56 years old. He had been reported missing a month earlier by his girlfriend where she and the victim lived on a boat at the yacht club. Foul play was not suspected.</p> <p><b>03/11/17</b> – Fire and police received a report of fire in an apartment at 215 Bayview Street. Upon arrival the apartment was actively burning in the kitchen area. Residents were able to pull a woman out of the apartment, however she died several days later.</p> <p><b>03/11/17</b> – The Westamerica bank on Francisco Blvd. was robbed by a Black male about 25 years old. The area was searched; however, the suspect was not located. The next day police were doing an alcohol sting with a decoy at the seven-eleven store on B Street. The decoy spotted a drug deal in progress and police moved in. One of the subjects matched the surveillance photo of the bank robber. The suspect, Cedric Vincent had a large amount of cash on him and he was arrested for the robbery. He was a recent parolee for robbery.</p> <p><b>03/14/17</b> – Reports were received of a man brandishing a gun at the Circle K gas station on Francisco Blvd. Officers arrived, and the suspect fled in his car. After a short chase, he backed his vehicle into a patrol and tried to escape, however he was captured a brief time later. Jason Griffin, 40 years, was booked for brandishing a gun and hit run. An airsoft gun was found in the car.</p> <p><b>03/16/17</b> – Police continued their investigation of the bank robbery at the Westamerica bank and their investigation revealed that a teller was working with the robber. Booked at Marin County Jail was Javier Corona-Leyva, 19 years, for robbery and several other violations.</p> <p><b>03/17/17</b> – During his State of the City address, Mayor Gary Phillips reported that the city was financially sound.</p> <p><b>03/21/17</b> – Police arrested Paul Van Zandt, 55 years for stabbing a man at the transit center on March 14, 2017. Van Zandt stabbed the man after an argument over a female and a jacket. Van Zandt fled on the day of the stabbing but was spotted by the victim at the Ritter Center.</p> <p><b>03/26/17</b> – SRPD arrested 12 San Rafael residents of suspicion of soliciting a prostitute. The operation took place at local hotels in town.</p> <p><b>03/27/17</b> – Officials started planning to replace the current MERA radio system that has been in use for almost 20 years in the county. The county signed a 34.3 million contract with Motorola to build the system.</p> <p><b>03/28/17</b> – The Target Store in San Rafael was the scene of a peeping arrest. Police booked Uriel Arturo Damian-Moldonado, 24 years for using his cell phone to record women in the store fitting room. This suspect was arrested in 2015 for peeping into an apartment on Nova Albion Way and he was still on probation for this offense.</p> <p><b>03/30/17</b> – SRPD launched its inaugural “Coffee with a Cop” event that was set for 4/6/17. The event, dubbed “Doughnuts with Diana” was set to be held at Johnny Doughnuts on Fourth Street in San Rafael.</p> <p><b><u>April:</u></b></p> <p><b>04/11/17</b> – The County of Marin rejected all 10 applications to open medical marijuana stores throughout the county. The county administrator recommended that the county rethink the entire process.</p> <p><b>04-14-17</b> – Police responded to a report of a stabbing on Francisco Blvd. Upon arrival officers found a stabbing victim with a minor would. Also present were two women who stated that they were visiting from South Dakota. Further investigation revealed that the two women were wanted for parole violation in South Dakota. Officers booked Sara Van Norton, 29 years and Bonnie Williamson, 37 years. Both were held for extradition back to South Dakota.</p> <p><b>04/20/17</b> – Police received numerous calls about a car being driven recklessly in the Canal area. The car hit 12 parked cars and the driver then drove on a resident’s lawn. Several citizens held Carlos Cauich-Noh, 29 years on the lawn until police arrived. He was booked on many charges.</p> <p><b>04/22/17</b> – On Sept. 25, 2014, Jose Gramajo, 25 years, got into a physical fight on Novato Street with a rival gang member. Gramajo ran to a car, got a gun and shot the other party in the head. Gramajo pleaded guilty to ADW and was sentenced to a 17-year term in state prison.</p> <p><b>04/21/17</b> – On Aug. 27, 2015, Richard O’Hara, 61 years, got into an argument with his upstairs neighbor in the Canal District. He became so angry that he set fire to his own apartment and yelled to his neighbors, “Now all the Latinos will die!” Judge Sweet, who called O’Hara a, “methamphetamine-addicted bigot who displayed no remorse” sentenced him to 11 years in prison, the maximum possible.</p> <p><b>04/25/17</b> – SRPD Lt. James Correa, was hired by the Novato Police Department as a Captain.</p> <p><b>04/26/17</b> – It was reported that officers from San Rafael, Fairfax and Central Marin Police, would begin to carry medication that prevents opioid overdoses as part of a partnership to prevent the county’s leading cause of accidental death.</p> <p><b><u>May:</u></b></p> <p><b>05/06/17 </b>– Marin County hosted a drug buy back program in which about 548 pounds of unused medicines were collected.</p> <p><b></b></p> <p><b>05/07/17</b> – A man posing as a landlord offering housing in exchange for sex acts was arrested by officers. The suspect, Tifano Rodas-Maldonado, 38 years, posted advertisements for rentals in the Canal area. He asked for $2,000 per month and sex for respondents to rent an apartment. The suspect who had no apartments to rent, was caught after word got to police and they arrested him in an undercover operation.</p> <p><b>05/07/17</b> – Chief Deputy Coroner Darrell Harris, was arrested on a warrant charging him with four felony counts of child molestation over a period of seven years. He was held on bail of $750,000.</p> <p><b>05/15/17</b> – SRPD issued 502 citations for persons talking on their cell phones during a monthlong crackdown on distracted driving.</p> <p><b>05/15/17</b> – SRPD held its annual awards ceremony recognizing officers for life saving and meritorious conduct.</p> <p><b>05/22/17</b> – The Marin County Jury issued a report warning that retiree health care benefits could not be supported by the current amount of money the county has.</p> <p><b>05/24/17</b> – A female reported that during the night, she was awakened by a man with a flashlight standing at the foot or her bed. The suspect did not realize that the female was sleeping with her boyfriend and he fled, being chased by the boyfriend. The suspect was able to escape.</p> <p><b>05/31/17</b> – With the start of SMART Train service, SRPD started an enforcement program to keep motorists aware that they could not stop on the train tracks as a train approached. If caught, the fine was $489.</p> <p><b><u>June:</u></b></p> <p><b>06/01/17</b> – The San Rafael Police Department graduated its first Spanish speaking Citizen’s Police Academy. A total of 24 people completed the 10-week program.</p> <p><b>06/04/17</b> – Officers, conducting an undercover operation arrested two men for selling drugs in Albert Park. The park had become a problem area recently with citizens complaining about drug use and needles left on the property.</p> <p><b>06/09/17</b> – The Grand Jury issued a report that Marin’s pension shortfall was at one billion dollars. This is the amount of future pension obligations guaranteed public workers but not currently held in reserve. The Grand Jury called the situation, “disturbing.”</p> <p><b>06/14/17</b> – During a church meeting of a group of Latinos, a man wearing an ICE jacket walked into the church and began taking pictures of the group. He then left but was later identified by police. The man said that he had issues with the church regarding loud noise, but he was not able to come up with a valid reason as to why he was wearing an ICE jacket, which he had ordered on line. It was determined that he had not committed a crime.</p> <p><b>06/14/17</b> – Police received a complaint of a man stopping people asking for gas money on Francisco Blvd. by Shoreline Parkway. When officers arrived, they found Rocky Jimenez, 36 years standing next to a Ferrari that he said he had just picked up from an auto shop where he had repairs done. Officers determined that the $245,000 car was stolen from a nearby dealership and they found the keys in Jimenez’s backpack. He was booked for auto theft.</p> <p><b>06/21/17</b> – The San Rafael City Council declined action on placing Senate Bill 54, the so-called “sanctuary state” bill on an upcoming City Council agenda. Mayor Gary Phillips stated, “We’ve already made a pretty clear statement through our police chief that this is a federal matter and not for the state or city.</p> <p><b>06/27/17</b> – Police responded to the Extended Stay Hotel on Francisco Blvd. after receiving a complaint from hotel staff of a frequently used credit card. Officers went to a room with several people inside and contacted Joseph Darling, 41 years. Officers scanned his fingerprints and it showed that he was wanted for a homicide in the East Bay that took place in 2015. He was arrested on a murder warrant.</p> <p><b><u>July:</u></b></p> <p><b>07/02/17</b> – David C. Brown filed a lawsuit against the City of San Rafael alleging that the City allowed public pension “enhancements” that have cost the taxpayers millions of dollars.</p> <p><b>07/02/17</b> – Officers working a Human Trafficking detail, noticed an add for an escort service. They contacted the person in the add at a local motel and determined that the female was a minor. Police located her “pimp” a short time later and arrested Jeffrey Jenkins, 26 years for human trafficking and for parole violation from a previous robbery arrest.</p> <p><b>07/14/17</b> – The City of San Rafael announced that it was going to hold a public meeting regarding the new proposed public safety building to be located at the southeast corner of Fifth and D Street. The city will announce a timeline for demolition of the existing buildings and the building of the new structure.</p> <p><b>07/13/17</b> – Police responded to a report of a possible burglary in progress on Cresta Way. Upon arrival, a male fled out the back of the unit. After a brief chase, officers arrested Davis Argueta, 39 years. Officers were looking into the possibility that Argueta was the suspect who made his way into the bedroom of a sleeping woman the previous month.</p> <p><b>07/17/17</b> – A Terra Linda resident returned home to find two men burglarizing her residence. The two male suspects fled in a car as the homeowner called police. Officers located the car on Highway 580 and found stolen property from the home and other homes in San Rafael. Booked for burglary were Juan Martinez, 26 years and Manuel Quinonez, 23 years, both from the East Bay.</p> <p><b>07/21/17</b> – The City of San Rafael started to look at the parking problems in the Canal District. With the economy improving, many cars were now in the canal, making parking a problem for residents. A meeting was held on this matter and it was mentioned that a study showed that the Canal area was short about 580 parking spaces. The City will look at options to try to solve the problem.</p> <p><b>07/29/17</b> – The San Rafael Police Department and the Asian American Donor Program announced that they were organizing a bone marrow donor drive. The effort was to try to find a match for LAPD Officer Matthew Medina who was suffering from aplastic anemia disorder that requires a bone marrow transplant.</p> <p><b>07/30/17</b> – The San Rafael Police announced that they were participating in the Red Sand Project, which is a world day to end Human Trafficking.</p> <p><b>07/31/17</b> – Officials broke ground on a new 5,675 square foot building to house the Helen Vine Detox Center. The building, by McInnis Park should be completed in mid-2018.</p> <p><b><u>August:</u></b></p> <p><b>08/05/17</b> – Officers received a report of a gas station robbery at the Shell station at Second and Fourth Street where two suspects stole cigarettes. A short time later the two suspects hit a gas station in Terra Linda. Police put out an APB on the suspect car, including a photo taken of the car by a witness. Later in the evening, Fairfax Police found the car in their city and arrested Leonardo Flores, 21 years of Fairfax and Calvin Franklin, 30 of San Anselmo.</p> <p><b>08/08/17</b> – SRPD conducted a Human Trafficking operation in the Canal District. Five suspects were cited for contacting an undercover officer posing as a sex worker.</p> <p><b>08/09/17</b> – A police officer on patrol in the Canal District, observed a subject he knew to be on probation and who was subject to search as part of his probation. The suspect ran when the officer approached him. After a foot chase, police arrested Jorge Martinez, 25 years for possession of a loaded firearm. The suspect threw the gun over a fence during the chase.</p> <p><b>08/10/17</b> – SRPD released a photo and a sketch of a male who grabbed a female jogger. The crime occurred on June 18, 2017 where the suspect committed a sexual battery on the female while she jogged on a path near Pickleweed Park. A passing witness was able to take a picture of the fleeing suspect.</p> <p><b>08/17/17</b> – SRPD released information on a Labor Day program called Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. The P.D. planned to do DUI saturation patrols during this time.</p> <p><b>08/18/17</b> – The state Attorney General’s Office released a study reporting that during 2016 in California, officers were involved in violent encounters that resulted in the deaths of 157 people. Six officers were also killed by suspects.</p> <p><b>08/19/17</b> – Officers responded to a report of a home invasion robbery in the 800 block of B Street, where two suspects, one armed with an assault rifle entered the apartment to rob the occupants. One of the victims wrestled the rifle from the suspect and held him until officers arrived. The second suspect fled and was not located. Booked on robbery charges was Bertrell Lewis, 41 years from Fremont.</p> <p><b>08/22/17</b> – Police responded to a disturbance between a male and another male and female. Prior to police arrival one of the males shot himself in the head. Police stated that the incident appeared to be a suicide over a former girlfriend. The Coroners Office identified the deceased male as Manuel Primero 35 years of San Rafael.</p> <p><b>08/25/17</b> – Police responded to a report of a fight in the 1300 block of Lincoln Avenue. Five subjects with knives in a Mercedes attacked a subject walking on the street. The suspects fled but the car was located later in the Canal area and all five suspects were arrested. The victim survived.</p> <p><b>08/24/17</b> – The San Rafael City Council signed a $842,000 contract with CVE Contracting to tear down fire station #1. Prior to demolition, artifacts will be removed from the building and some will be put in the new Public Safety Building when it is completed around 2020.</p> <p><b>08/31/17</b> – Police responded to a report of a 66-year-old man who was living in an apartment in the West End neighborhood. Upon arrival, officers found that the man had been stabbed in face, head, neck and chest. The attacker, identified as Unique Gaimes, 26 years had been allowed by the victim to live with him off and on for several years. It was reported that the attack was unprovoked. The suspect was located in a hotel in Pittsburg and was arrested for attempted murder and mayhem.</p> <p><b><u>September:</u></b></p> <p><b>09/04/17</b> – Police cited six subjects in an alcohol sales sting using decoys at 11 different stores in the city.</p> <p><b>09/07/17</b> – SRPD arrested a man on suspicion of sexually assaulting two girls on multiple occasions in 2007. Arrested was Abraham Vargas-Lopez, 31 years.</p> <p><b>09/18/17</b> – The San Rafael City Council continued its discussion of the parking problems in the Canal area with a public meeting in hopes of soliciting ideas on the subject.</p> <p><b>09/23/17</b> – Drug investigators arrested five suspects and seized more than 5 pounds of cocaine and methamphetamine. The arrests were made after an 11-month investigation of the ring that was operating in the Canal District.</p> <p><b>09/24/17</b> – A 92-year-old woman walking at the Northgate Mall had her purse snatched by a young female who had been in a car with two other females. The suspects fled and were not located.</p> <p><b>09/29/17</b> – As previously reported, a female was grabbed by a male while she was jogging on a path by Pickleweed Park. Police developed several leads based on a photo of the suspect taken by a witness and a sketch. Officers arrested a 15-year-old male for this crime.</p> <p><b><u></u></b></p> <p><b><u>October:</u></b></p> <p><b>10/08/17</b> – Officers working a Human Trafficking detail found an internet escort website that had indications that juveniles were involved. Officers set up an appointment and went to the residence and found an Asian female who could not speak English. An investigation determined that she was being used for purposes of prostitution by the apartment renter, Walter Horat, 49 years. He was arrested for keeping a house of prostitution.</p> <p><b>10/09/17</b> – Contractors started the demolition of the Blue House and Parking Services on the lot across from City Hall. This was the start of the demolition of the buildings on the property to make way for a 36-million-dollar public safety building.</p> <p><b>10/10/17</b> – Many public agencies consisting mostly of police and fire, responded to Sonoma County to assist with the raging fires that were burning in the area.</p> <p><b>10/18/17</b> – The county retirement board voted to cut a key investment return assumption, resulting in member agencies and employees paying more to finance the program.</p> <p><b>10/19/17</b> – SRPD, working with other agencies, arrested five men in a sting targeting child prostitution. Officers placed adds on the internet offering children for sex. When people responded to the add for a meeting, they were arrested. Operation Cross Country was part of a national crackdown on juvenile sex trafficking.</p> <p><b><u>November:</u></b></p> <p><b>11/03/17</b> – SRPD, working with Winner International, the maker of “The Club” offered free anti-theft devices to owners of older Honda Civics and Accords. In the past year, 290 vehicles were stolen from within the City of San Rafael.</p> <p><b>11/02/17</b> – Police received a report from a family of an 8-year-old girl that a family friend had been molesting her. The suspect, Jesus Vera-Balam, 33 years, exposed himself to the girl and committed sexual battery on her. He was located at his place of employment in San Anselmo and arrested.</p> <p><b>11/06/17</b> – Peggy Heath, one of our long-time meter officers retired.</p> <p><b>11/10/17</b> – SRPD received a $110,000 grant from the Office of Traffic Safety to provide special enforcement and public awareness to prevent traffic deaths and injuries.</p> <p><b>11/18/17</b> – SRPD received information that a man running a youth mentoring organization in his home in Terra Linda was selling drugs to teens. Acting on a search warrant, officers raided the home and seized 77 pounds of marijuana and 2.5 pounds of Hash Oil. Booked for drug manufacturing was Daniel Saint-Amans, 51 years.</p> <p><b>11/21/17</b> – One of California’s most notorious criminals, Charles Manson, who spend half his life in prison, died at the age of 83.</p> <p><b>11/22/17</b> – SRPD assisted the Sausalito P.D. in a program to reach out to anchor outs to remove unwanted debris on their boats. SRPD’s Lynn Murphy, a mental health outreach liaison contacted some of the anchor outs to offer services. </p> <p><b><u>11/25/17</u></b> – The San Rafael Police Department and the Novato Police Department announced that they were combining their SWAT and HNT teams. It was reported that the new program would save many hours of training. The new unit will be called the San Rafael-Novato Regional Crisis Response Unit.</p> <p><b>11/29/17</b> – When Michael Davis found a Mini Cooper parked in the parking lot of his family business at 3140 Kerner Blvd. that did not have a permit to be there, he took matters into his own hands. He got a forklift and he moved the car off his property. A witness called police and Davis was arrested for vandalism for damaging the car. The District Attorney’s office dismissed charges when they learned that the car had previously been damaged by its owner in a hit-run accident. Apparently, the car owner ditched the vehicle in the parking lot after the accident.</p> <p><b><u>December:</u></b></p> <p><b>12/01/17</b> – A man who robbed three victims in San Rafael-including a 63-year-old Terra Linda woman he beat unconscious with a gun, was sentenced to more than 30 years in prison. Paris Ragland Jr. 32 years, robbed the woman when she returned home after work. He also robbed two other victims in downtown San Rafael.</p> <p><b>12/04/17</b> – San Rafael’s Ritter Center, a main hub for the city’s homeless population, announced that it was going to move about one third of its staff from Ritter Street to an undisclosed location by the first part of 2018. The City of San Rafael had been working with Ritter over the past several years to move them out of the downtown area.</p> <p><b>12/06/17</b> – The San Rafael City Council, voted of 5-0, to allow some commercial medical cannabis users to operate in the city limits. The ordinance would allow persons to apply for permits to deliver cannabis.</p> <p><b>12/13/17</b> – The San Rafael City Council proposed an ordinance to ban loitering on certain city medians. The ordinance was aimed to prevent homeless persons from standing on median areas on city streets to collect money from drivers. The city cited the fact that it was too dangerous to loiter on the medians to collect money.</p> <p><b>12/18/17</b> – The San Rafael City Council approved a contract with Alten Construction to build the new Public Safety building at Fifth and D Street. It was approved to award $34,978,000 to build the facility which is scheduled to be completed in 2020.</p> <p><b>12/30/17</b> – Two robbers stole a man’s cellphone and a jacket from him in the Canal District. The victim was walking down the street when the two suspects demanded his belongings. He gave the suspects his property and when he crossed the street to ask a passerby for help, one of the robbers fired two shots at him from a hand gun. The victim was not hit, and the suspects got away.</p> <p><b><u>Homicides:</u></b></p> <p>San Rafael recorded no homicides for the year 2017. The last reported homicide in the city was on 9-9-2011 when Alicia Griffiths was killed in her Canal District apartment. Robert Lee Bradley, 51 was booked for her murder and received a sentence of 9 years in prison. This is one of the longest stretches of no homicides in the history of the city.</p> <p><b><u></u></b></p> <p><b><u>In Memoriam</u></b></p> <p><b><u></u></b></p> <p><b>01/09/17</b> – Word was received that San Rafael Police Officer Larry Russell passed away. Larry, who served as a canine officer, served from 1990 to 2003.</p> <p><b></b></p> <p><b>02/02/17</b> – William Schwarzer, a retired federal judge in San Francisco for the 9<sup>th</sup> Circuit Court of Appeals passed away at his Terra Linda home. He served on the bench from 1976 to 2009. He was 91 years old.</p> <p><b>02/05/17</b> – If you went to court you more than likely saw him practicing law. Marin attorney Carl Shapiro championed social justice causes and human rights cases through his long legal career. He practiced law in Marin for 65 years, finishing his last case in 2016. Carl Shapiro was 100 years old.</p> <p><b>02/25/17</b> – Word was received that former San Rafael Police Officer Tony Hoke passed away in October of 2016 following complications after heart surgery. He started his career with SRPD and retired as a Captain from the Twin Cities Police Department after 35 years of law enforcement experience.</p> <p><b>03/07/17</b> – Glen Becker, a Marin County Public Defender passed away after serving the county for 35 years. Glen started his career as a reporter for the Marin I.J. however after graduating from U.C. Berkeley he decided to become an attorney and he attended the University of San Francisco School of Law earning his degree. He was hired by Chief Public Defender Harold Truitt, which started his career in law. Glen was 73 years old.</p> <p><b>04/03/17</b> – One of Marin’s law enforcement heroes passed away this year. Judge Gary W. Thomas joined the Marin District Attorney’s office in 1959 after graduating law school. In 1970, while prosecuting a case against San Quentin convicts, he, Judge Harold Haley and two jurors were kidnapped from the courtroom by Jonathan Jackson and taken to a van outside the Civic Center building. When a shootout ensued, Thomas got a gun away from one of the convicts and shot three of them. He was also shot and paralyzed from the waist down. In 1972 he was appointed a municipal court judge at the age of 34. He was later appointed a superior court judge where he served for 26 years. Judge Thomas was 79 years old.</p> <p><b>09/11/17</b> – We received word that retired SRPD Lt. Kenneth Homen passed away after a sudden illness. Ken started his career with the Mill Valley Police Department and then spent 30 years with the San Rafael Police Dept. After retirement he volunteered on the Sheriff’s police boat. Ken’s great love was fishing. Ken retired from the SRPD in April of 1993. He was 80 years old.</p> <p><b>10/29/17</b> – He was known as “The law west of White’s Hill.” David Baty, the last magistrate of West Marin and a career lawyer, died peacefully in his Inverness Park home. Baty served in the justice court in West Marin before becoming a municipal court judge. During his 30 years interpreting the law, he earned a reputation for being tough on cases involving poaching and drunk driving. It was always rumored that during his time in West Marin, he kept a sawed-off shotgun under his bench. Judge Baty was 90 years old.</p> <p>End of Report</p> <p>Copyright 2018 Harry Barbier – All Rights Reserved</p>Gene Penningtonhttps://plus.google.com/101641436202990214526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57639014083502389.post-38577577155485320032017-12-10T16:20:00.001-08:002017-12-10T16:20:23.953-08:00History Watch–“George”<p><b><u>History Watch</u></b></p> <p><b><u>“George”</u></b></p> <p>Police Departments have had record keeping systems for many years.&#160; In the early days, police departments discovered the need to keep track of crime and other incidents in their jurisdictions and to record the names of persons involved in such incidents.&#160; We know that in the early 1900’s the San Rafael Police Department kept a mug shot book of criminals they arrested for various crimes.&#160; It is assumed that they had some type of report writing system to go with those photos.&#160; Many crimes were also documented by the local newspapers, some of which can still be looked up today.</p> <p>In the 1930’s, the San Rafael Police Department used log books to record calls for service and persons arrested.&#160; It is interesting to note that if you look through those books, the crimes listed back then have not changed much from what the police department deals with today. </p> <p>As time progressed, SRPD established a card and report system that was in use in the 1950’s and perhaps some years before. By the 1960’s reports were being written by officers and person’s names were entered on a 3x5 card and put in a file.&#160; It was a pretty simple system, however it worked very well.&#160; Simply look up a person’s name in the card file and it would list that person’s record with a report number after it.&#160; You could then go to the report file and pull the case.</p> <p>By 1968, the San Rafael Police Department had amassed a large number of 3x5 cards that were kept in file drawers that stood about five feet tall. Thousands of cards were in those file drawers that held the names of many citizens in town.&#160; If you knew the alphabet, the system remained stable as long as the cards were filed properly.</p> <p>The persons who were most responsible for filing and maintaining the card system were cadets, which was a program that was started in August of 1966.&#160; On a graveyard shift in about 1969, something happened that made the department start to look at a better way to keep those cards in order.&#160; The story goes that two cadets, who might not have had enough to do, got into a playful shoving match. One cadet pushed the other cadet into one of those free-standing card files and the whole cabinet, about one third of the thousands of cards on file, fell over onto the floor spilling a good many 3x5 cards all over the place.&#160; Rumor has it that it took about a week to get all those cards back in the proper order.</p> <p>In the late 1970’s or early 1980’s, the police department finally decided to have a better way to hold their 3x5 cards.&#160; They purchased a new state of the art card holder that took the place of the old file cabinets, and with this new piece of equipment, there was no chance that it could be knocked over.&#160; The machine was electric and when you pressed a button, the drawers rotated to the correct part of the alphabet that you wanted.</p> <p>It was quite an improvement for the Records Division and when you like something, you of course must name it.&#160; Thus, this new card contraption got the name of “George.”&#160; George performed well, however at times it would break down freezing the drawers.&#160; But not to fear, George had a metal rod that you could stick in its side and you could crank your way to the desired drawer.</p> <p>George served with honor and distinction for many years. The police department, wanting to upgrade their system, went to a strip file system where names could be moved around in the holder so the file could still be in alphabetical order.&#160; In addition, a Complaint Dispatch Report (CDR) system was put in place to record calls that came into the department.&#160; Both of these systems were manual ones, until they were replaced by the police department’s first computer system in September of 1991, which was called S.R. Card. Interestingly, the hardest part of getting the new computer system up and running was to get agreement on what it was going to be called.&#160; In January of 2003, S.R. Card was replaced by a newer computer system called Rims, which is still in use as of this writing.</p> <p>Attached is a photo of dear old George sitting in the front office at the San Rafael Police Department in 1983. </p> <p>Bonus Points:&#160; Can you name all the employees in the photo who are hanging out with George?</p> <p>Copyright 2017 Harry Barbier – All Rights Reserved</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-s1JaI3KjGjs/Wi3PQbcft8I/AAAAAAAB9Mo/ZaTJY79yM906kTvKFFW6aahBSPVD8LDgQCHMYCw/s1600-h/Photo%2BDay%2B-%2B9-25-83%2B-%2B20%255B2%255D"><img title="Photo Day - 9-25-83 - 20" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Photo Day - 9-25-83 - 20" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-E554vdfs-M4/Wi3PRoiYk1I/AAAAAAAB9Ms/rLr3tWAWcWobs5kiZn6GbYuUG4Izli_SwCHMYCw/Photo%2BDay%2B-%2B9-25-83%2B-%2B20_thumb%255B2%255D?imgmax=800" width="679" height="468" /></a></p>Gene Penningtonhttps://plus.google.com/101641436202990214526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57639014083502389.post-15009254621048278062017-09-05T16:21:00.001-07:002017-09-05T16:21:41.345-07:00History Watch: “Triple Homicide”<p><b><u><font size="3" face="Tahoma">History Watch</font></u></b></p> <p><b><u><font size="3" face="Tahoma">&quot;Triple Homicide&quot;</font></u></b></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Like many counties in California, Marin County has had its share of homicides.&#160; The San Rafael Police Department investigated 45 homicides between 1980 and 2017, which is an average of 1.2 homicides per year.&#160; All of them were single victim crimes. Incredibly, there have been no reported homicides in San Rafael since September of 2011.&#160; </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Have there ever been triple homicides in the county?&#160; Fortunately, they have been far and few between.&#160; On August 12, 1971, San Quentin prisoner George Jackson lead an escape attempt with other inmates using a handgun that was thought to be smuggled into the prison by his attorney Stephen Bingham. San Quentin Correctional Officers, Paul Krasenes, Frank DeLeon and Jere Graham were shot and stabbed and left for dead in a cell.&#160; Jackson was shot and killed by guards as he attempted to escape.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">On March 16, 1973, the Mill Valley Police Department arrested 22-year-old Brent Bedauam for killing three members of the Shallock family in their city.&#160; Bedauam used a shotgun to kill Melvin and Ruth Shallock and their 19-year-old son Daniel Shallock.&#160; Suspect Bedauam later stated that Daniel Shallock could control his thoughts by using a telephone.&#160; This and a dispute between Bedauam and the Shallocks resulted in the homicides.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">So, what about San Rafael?&#160; After doing a great deal of research, only one triple homicide was found, and to tell this story we need to travel back in time 171 years to 1846.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">John Polk was the eleventh President of the United States and the Mexican American War was about to start.&#160; California was in the hands of Mexico and President Polk sent Army Major John Fremont to California to take control of the future state.&#160; Fremont, with an armed force of 125 men started their journey west.&#160; With Fremont was Frontiersman Kit Carson.&#160; Fremont had saved Carson’s life in an earlier battle and Carson felt that he had to stay with Fremont and help him in California.&#160;&#160; </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">In June of 1846, Fremont, Carson and the force of men arrived in San Rafael looking for a group of men who had been responsible for some murders in Sonoma County.&#160; On June 28, 1846, a man by the name of Don Jose Berreyesa set out from Contra Costa County to visit his brother Don Francisco de Haro, who had been imprisoned in Sonoma County.&#160; With Don Berreyesa were the sons of prisoner Don Francisco de Haro. The boys were twins Ramon and Francisco Haro.&#160; </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">The three of them traveled by rowboat to the mouth of the San Rafael Canal and then proceeded up the canal to the area of what is now the Safeway store on B Street.&#160; In those days, the canal was used to deliver goods to the Mission and the rest of the town and it ran much further into town than today.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Fremont and Carson got word that the boat was about to arrive and they rode with several men to meet it to see if the three occupants were spies, or perhaps some of the murderers they were looking for.&#160; When Carson and Fremont arrived, the three men were embarking the boat. Carson asked Fremont what they should do with the three and Fremont replied, “I have got no room for prisoners.”&#160; Carson then took out his rifle and he shot and killed the twin brothers.&#160; When Don Berreyesa asked why Carson killed the two boys, Carson shot Berreyesa dead.&#160; The three bodies were stripped of their clothing and they were left on the shore.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Fremont and Carson were never prosecuted for this crime; however, the murders were observed by a man named Jasper O'Farrell, who wrote a letter detailing it that was published in a Los Angeles newspaper.&#160; Ten years later in 1856, Fremont ran for U. S. President and this incident was used against him, which was one of the reasons he was not elected.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Has San Rafael had only one triple homicide in 171 years?&#160; Is it possible that there were others?&#160; If there were, they are hidden in the pages of history.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Attached are photos of General John Fremont and Frontiersman Kit Carson.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Copyright 2017 Harry Barbier – All Rights Reserved</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-teVTmhL4KNI/Wa8xdvVCEkI/AAAAAAAB8iU/-a8DzPio5QcYC4WW-khSy4L-GfNk1b47gCHMYCw/s1600-h/General%2BJohn%2BFremont%255B3%255D"><img title="General John Fremont" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="General John Fremont" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZD_97RxkOqE/Wa8xe7xZGjI/AAAAAAAB8iY/p9atUEWnyxA0j_rxRG3EN5Nz8Rho4KMrACHMYCw/General%2BJohn%2BFremont_thumb%255B1%255D?imgmax=800" width="438" height="299" /></a></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6rXvnH9SQeg/Wa8xfn9RTGI/AAAAAAAB8ic/QGdbTSaGKw0bA7noPxpt-tq2r-CpfkMeACHMYCw/s1600-h/Kit%2BCarson%255B3%255D"><img title="Kit Carson" style="display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Kit Carson" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WFAKDWDqejY/Wa8xhP69cLI/AAAAAAAB8ig/-C7F2teTPOcql49WRkpe_d4KEVWx3r4PQCHMYCw/Kit%2BCarson_thumb%255B1%255D?imgmax=800" width="308" height="355" /></a></font></p>Gene Penningtonhttps://plus.google.com/101641436202990214526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57639014083502389.post-45891358796355043182017-06-07T08:48:00.001-07:002017-06-07T08:48:19.583-07:00History Watch: “Full Circle”<p><b><u><font size="3" face="Tahoma">History Watch:</font></u></b></p> <p><u><font size="3" face="Tahoma">“Full Circle”</font></u></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">The list of those who have done it is short.&#160; Some have done it by brute force and threats, while others have simply used some smarts and a little subterfuge.&#160; Of all who have done it, they pretty much have had one thing in common.&#160; They ended up where they started.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Escapes from the Marin County Jail have been few and far between, but it has happened from time to time.&#160; Of all the successful escapes, there was one in November of 1966 that got a lot of attention from law enforcement that included threats, two kidnappings, gunplay and more threats.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Our story starts with one Ronald Harold Berg, a 21-year-old who stood over six feet tall with a boyish face.&#160; He had a criminal record and was known in certain circles as a, “heavy.” He earned this title because he had a liking for holding up hotels and restaurants in San Francisco and Marin County and he was known to always carry, “heavy artillery” when he did his jobs.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">On August 17, 1966, Berg and accomplice Michael Colvard robbed the Edgewater Inn in Corte Madera and they got away with $1,000.&#160; Several days later Berg, who was armed with three .45 semi-autos, and Colvard were captured in Fairfax and they were booked into Marin County Jail on robbery charges.&#160; </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Berg, who was not one to sit idle in jail, called his co-defendant’s mother and convinced her to put up his bail with the promise that he would then raise the money needed to bail Colvard out of jail. For some reason, Colvard’s family bought the plan and they bailed Berg out.&#160; A short time later Berg, who had jumped bail, was captured by SFPD doing another armed robbery and he was returned to Marin County Jail. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">While back in jail, Berg befriended Lewis B. Pettijohn, a 33-year-old “mentally unstable” check artist. During the early morning hours of November 23, 1966, Berg and Pettijohn fashioned several iron chair legs into clubs and they threatened two jailers. At at 5:45 am they broke out of the Marin County Jail, located in the basement of the courthouse at Fourth and A Street.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Once on the street they hailed down a passing taxi, kidnapped cabbie Bruce Hall and made him drive them to the west end of Terra Linda.&#160; Once there, they ran from the cab and hiked over the hills into the Sleepy Hollow area of San Anselmo. While looking for a place to hide out they came upon a house located on Fawn Drive and, at 6:50 am, they broke in and held the Jorgensen family, consisting of mom, dad, and their 17-year-old son, hostage.&#160; Berg discovered the son had a rifle and Berg armed himself with it.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">The dynamic duo planned to take the family car with a hostage and drive out of the area, but wanted to make sure that there were no police around. They told Mrs. Jorgensen to take her car out for a drive to check for “cops.”&#160; They told her that if she tried any funny business they would kill her family. Mrs. Jorgensen went out in the family car and she immediately drove to Smilin’ Ed Woods’ Service Station at Butterfield and Sir Francis Drake Blvd. where she called the police.&#160; She was told to return to the house and give the all clear.&#160; </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">The Marin County Sheriff’s Office and many other police departments in the county amassed one of the largest dragnets of law enforcement officers this county has ever seen. Over 100 officers were deployed to Sleepy Hollow with some on surrounding hills where they could get eyes on the Jorgensen home.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Once told there were no cops around, Berg and Pettijohn made their move by taking Mr. Jorgensen in the family car.&#160; Berg was armed with the rifle as they left the house.&#160; As the car reached the entrance to Sleepy Hollow, police cars suddenly pulled out blocking the road. A small army of officers swarmed the car and took both suspects into custody without anyone firing a shot.&#160; The officers making the arrests were Sheriff Louis Mountanos, San Anselmo Chief Ray Buchignani, Fairfax Chief James Orr and Marin Sheriff’s Inspector A. V. Menjou.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">And here our story ends with a short-day trip taken by two criminals, who bought themselves a great of trouble, only to have ended up where they started.&#160;&#160; </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Attached are two photos.&#160; One is of San Rafael Police Officer John Riordan interviewing cab driver Bruce Hall.&#160; The second photo is of our two escapees.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Copyright 2017 Harry Barbier – All Rights Reserved</font></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aFQ2HVk3Yi0/WTgf41CN2HI/AAAAAAAB8Zg/CCb3UTLygk4VnpIwxaYOTjHd14-ogEp3QCHM/s1600-h/Officer%2BJohn%2BRiordan%2B-%2B11-23-66%255B3%255D"><img title="Officer John Riordan - 11-23-66" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Officer John Riordan - 11-23-66" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YnFPH8RgWxw/WTgf6GGf9NI/AAAAAAAB8Zk/cm_z-IKQP1UHmCPtPWf0u1EbdCoYyEBkQCHM/Officer%2BJohn%2BRiordan%2B-%2B11-23-66_thumb%255B1%255D?imgmax=800" width="379" height="565" /></a></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UCkHzHD0pTM/WTggPZfHJSI/AAAAAAAB8Zo/V5RD_XByW08jTst72qjvUIj0Icf7OEXGQCHM/s1600-h/Suspects%2BBerg%2Band%2BPettijohn%255B3%255D"><img title="Suspects Berg and Pettijohn" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Suspects Berg and Pettijohn" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SAe8Ljw4xB0/WTggQovs88I/AAAAAAAB8Zs/B9Bm6HXtr1UxkQhB6ioexzdhZiaXbe6iwCHM/Suspects%2BBerg%2Band%2BPettijohn_thumb%255B1%255D?imgmax=800" width="458" height="445" /></a></p>Gene Penningtonhttps://plus.google.com/101641436202990214526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57639014083502389.post-21536887357734048912017-03-17T16:55:00.001-07:002017-03-17T16:55:13.973-07:00History Watch: “The Chase of the Footpads”<p><b><font face="Tahoma">History Watch</font></b></p> <p><b><u><font face="Tahoma">&quot;The Chase of the Footpads&quot;</font></u></b></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">At the end of the 19<sup>th</sup> century, San Rafael was a pretty quiet place.&#160; John E. Healy served as the Town Marshall from the 1890’s to 1915.&#160; He was then elected as the San Rafael's first Police Chief and he served a four-year term in that position until 1919, earning a salary of $1,800 per year.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">In early 1904, there was a series of armed robberies in the county that were committed by two young men known as Footpads.&#160; The term comes from 17<sup>th</sup> century England and was used in the United States until the late 1900’s when it fell out of favor.&#160; Footpads were thieves and/or robbers who specialized in robbing pedestrians.&#160; They were considered low level criminals as they did not have horses and they faded into the night on foot after accosting their victims.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">The most recent robbery took place at a saloon owned by A. Lawrence in Sausalito in early 1904.&#160; Both men were described as young and well-dressed and they were armed with pistols.&#160; They fled and were not caught, but that was about to change.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">One of the constables who worked under Town Marshall Healy was a man named Louis Hughes.&#160; He had a rather unique position with the city.&#160; In addition to being a constable, he was the City’s Fire Chief. On a Sunday evening at about 6:00 PM, on February 21<sup>st</sup> 1904, Hughes was walking home traveling north on Irwin Street by the intersection of Fifth Avenue. Hughes, who was apparently not in any type of uniform, noticed two young men walking behind him.&#160; Perhaps unaware of the robberies and the description given of the suspects, Hughes gave them a friendly greeting and he offered to have them walk with him.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Shortly after the greeting, one of the men ordered Hughes to put his hands up and he told Hughes that he was being robbed.&#160; Hughes immediately reached into his pants pocket and he pulled out his revolver and he pulled the trigger five times while pointing it at the suspects, however all five rounds misfired.&#160; The taller of the two suspects displayed a handgun and he fired at Hughes three times, striking him once in the lower abdomen.&#160; </font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Hughes went down and the men ran north on Irwin Street. While fleeing, the suspect with the gun fired one more time at Hughes from a distance of about 50 feet.&#160; They then ran to Belle and Irwin Street and into the entrance of the majestic Hotel Rafael where they disappeared.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Several witnesses were nearby who ran to the aid of Hughes.&#160; He was taken to Dr. Howitt’s sanitarium on Fourth Street where he was treated for a serious wound, that did not prove to be fatal.&#160; Marin County Sheriff Taylor was advised of the assault and he did what law enforcement would have done today.&#160; He put out an alert on the suspects giving a description that was provided by Hughes and all deputies and constables started to look for the two perpetrators.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">At 11:15 pm, that same evening, one of the suspects walked into Billy Shannon’s Villa, a less than reputable saloon and boxing club, located at Second and Fourth Street in the west end of San Rafael next to where the International House of Pancakes is today. It was a quiet night at the villa and only Shannon and two customers were present.&#160; The young man ordered everyone to put their hands up advising them it was a robbery.&#160; Shannon and one of the patrons complied, but the second patron refused, not seeing any weapon.&#160; </font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">A second later the second taller suspect entered the bar with a revolver in each hand and at that point the patron threw his hands up in the air.&#160; The Footpads took money from the two customers, cash from the till and they also took Billy Shannon’s wristwatch, however they returned it to him prior to fleeing.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">The alarm went out and a short time later, Marin County Sheriff’s Deputy George Martin, who was patrolling in the San Anselmo area, observed two young men walking down the street who matched the description given by Constable Hughes and Billy Shannon.&#160; He stopped them for questioning and both of them refused to identify themselves.&#160; During questioning, the deputy observed that one of the suspects had a gunshot wound to his thigh, perhaps inflicted by the suspect’s partner when the last shot was fired at Constable Hughes. </font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Both suspects were taken into custody and booked at the county jail located at the Court House at Fourth and A Street.&#160; Thus, another crime series came to a successful conclusion for Marin law enforcement.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Attached is a photo of Billy Shannon’s Villa where the suspects robbery spree came to an end.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Copyright 2017 Harry Barbier – All Rights Reserved</font></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-c-MV0rnZ0-0/WMx3WQZU-3I/AAAAAAAB8Gs/IWnwL5Rd-nA/s1600-h/Billy%252520Shannon%252527s%252520Villa%252520-%252520Circa%2525201912%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="Billy Shannon&#39;s Villa - Circa 1912" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Billy Shannon&#39;s Villa - Circa 1912" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ex5zUH_tFj0/WMx3YU3gzNI/AAAAAAAB8Gw/rEE0oBIMjjo/Billy%252520Shannon%252527s%252520Villa%252520-%252520Circa%2525201912_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="605" height="454" /></a></p>Gene Penningtonhttps://plus.google.com/101641436202990214526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57639014083502389.post-5596937586039492062017-02-26T10:53:00.000-08:002017-02-26T10:53:02.909-08:00Tony Hoke's Obituary<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: x-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Tony's obituary was published last Thursday.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: x-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Article from: Marin Independent Journal - February 23, 2017</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: x-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Anthony (Skipper)&nbsp; Thomas Hoke</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: x-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Follow the link below to view the article.<u></u><u></u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: x-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://marinindependentjournal.ca.newsmemory.com/publink.php?shareid=45fb47cd7" rel="nofollow" style="border: 0px; color: #1155cc; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://<wbr></wbr>marinindependentjournal.ca.<wbr></wbr>newsmemory.com/publink.php?<wbr></wbr>shareid=45fb47cd7</a><u></u><u></u></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: x-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tx9PkuGekAg/WLMjvcXDobI/AAAAAAAB8EY/OGY8h_qANUoaD8-KhiMotBy5Qjj_rL__wCLcB/s1600/DSCN0397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tx9PkuGekAg/WLMjvcXDobI/AAAAAAAB8EY/OGY8h_qANUoaD8-KhiMotBy5Qjj_rL__wCLcB/s320/DSCN0397.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: x-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--doulUhbXL0/WLMjxiwA60I/AAAAAAAB8Ec/ARs8J_DF-YAlsKbdTY_nI_mJwtRQSBDxwCLcB/s1600/Tony%2BHoke%2B2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--doulUhbXL0/WLMjxiwA60I/AAAAAAAB8Ec/ARs8J_DF-YAlsKbdTY_nI_mJwtRQSBDxwCLcB/s320/Tony%2BHoke%2B2015.jpg" width="252" /></a></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: x-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PIyGdvUlHN8/WLMj2mDE6JI/AAAAAAAB8Eg/YGpG71Q_AfgUNiTWR5BDyLQXyamExt2sQCLcB/s1600/Marie%2B%2526%2BTony%2BHoke.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PIyGdvUlHN8/WLMj2mDE6JI/AAAAAAAB8Eg/YGpG71Q_AfgUNiTWR5BDyLQXyamExt2sQCLcB/s320/Marie%2B%2526%2BTony%2BHoke.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: x-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-79nNIrnKIHM/WLMj-z4jLSI/AAAAAAAB8Ek/5ss-sqQWl6sYuZ4l-VgX5z7bVPdXq5LJACLcB/s1600/Tony%2BRetirement%2B2004%2B008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-79nNIrnKIHM/WLMj-z4jLSI/AAAAAAAB8Ek/5ss-sqQWl6sYuZ4l-VgX5z7bVPdXq5LJACLcB/s320/Tony%2BRetirement%2B2004%2B008.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>Gene Penningtonhttps://plus.google.com/101641436202990214526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57639014083502389.post-7356775304859092002017-01-29T09:43:00.001-08:002017-01-29T11:30:39.823-08:00San Rafael Police Department - The Year in Review for 2016<b><u>January:</u></b><br /><b>01/02/16</b> – SRPD started the year by doing a DUI checkpoint in Terra Linda. The checkpoint resulted in one arrest for DUI and 10 citations.<br /><b>01/03/16</b> – Police had to evacuate the police department after a good minded citizen found a replica hand grenade at his residence and he left it at the front door of the P.D. The PD remained evacuated until the U.C. Berkeley P.D. Bomb Squad responded and took possession of the device.<br /><b>01/04/16</b> – A boat in the San Rafael Yacht Harbor sank prompting a response from the Southern Marin Dive Team to search for any victims. None were found. The owner of the boat, Jennifer Newsom, 52 years, had died on board the boat on Christmas day.<br /><b>01/08/16</b> – San Rafael city officials were prepared to consider an urgency ordinance banning the cultivation of marijuana and delivery to avoid defaulting to a laxer state law.<br /><b>01/13/16</b> – The Central Marin Police Authority hired former SRPD spokesperson Margo Rohrbacher as their Public Information Officer.<br /><b>01/27/16</b> – SRPD conducted a crackdown on prostitution in hotels in the city. Police identified women who were advertising several services on the Internet. A total of seven people were cited.<br /><b>01/27/16</b> – Former SRPD Chief John Rohrbacher took over the reins of the Sausalito P.D. as their Chief. <br /><b>01/28/16</b> – Walter Mazariegos, 36 years, was sentenced to 17 years to life for the molestation of a 12-year-old girl who was the daughter of his girlfriend.<br /><b>01/29/16</b> – Longtime volunteer Bill Kay retired after 28 years of service. He worked in the investigations unit.<br /><b>01/29/16</b> – Officers responded to the area of the 711 Store on B Street after receiving reports of a brawl. Upon arrival they found Anthony Williams, 22 years with a gunshot wound to his chest. Two suspects in the case were subsequently located and booked on assault charges. The suspects were Jonathan Howlin, 22 years and Jamare Saucer, 23 years.<br /><b><u>February:</u></b><br /><b>02/03/16</b> – The City of San Rafael hired Andrew Henning as its Director of Homeless Planning and Outreach. He was hired for a three year term with a starting salary of $105,252.<br /><b>02/05/16</b> – SRPD conducted another prostitution crackdown at a local hotel that resulted in ten men being cited.<br /><b>02/05/16</b> – Police throughout the county were planning DUI patrols for the Super Bowl. SRPD ended up arresting two drivers for D.U.I.<br /><b>02/08/16</b> – The City of San Rafael released new drawings for the replacement of fire stations #2 at Montecito and #7 at the Civic Center.<br /><b>02/15/16</b> – The City of San Rafael extended the Downtown Streets Team for another year.<br /><b>02/25/16</b> – Police arrested Paul Larios, 23 years and Brandon MacPherson, 20 years for burglarizing the PG&amp;E power station on North Redwood Drive.<br /><b>02/29/16</b> – City officials started a debate regarding the moving of the Ritter Center to another location as the City concluded that the Ritter Center was one of the reasons for homelessness in the downtown area.<br /><b><u>March:</u></b><br /><b>03/04/16</b> - The committee for the upgrade to the MERA radio system reported that they would be reviewing proposals by late summer.<br /><b>03/05/16</b> – At the annual State of the City dinner people got a look at a drawing of the proposed new public safety building. The 44,000 square foot building was estimated to cost between 41 and 43 million dollars.<br /><b>03/11/16</b> – Alan Sanchez, 17 years, was sentenced to 29 years in prison for the February, 2014 shooting of an 18 year old male on a park bench at Schoen Park. Sanchez had intended to shoot a gang rival, but mistook the victim for his target and shot him twice.<br /><b>03/10/16</b> – SRPD arrested 29 year old Juan Xum for molesting a 14 year old girl at a motel and in his car in the Canal area.<br /><b>03/16/16</b> – SRPD held its first class for the spring, 2016 Citizen Police Academy.<br /><b>03/19/16</b> – The Public Pension debate came up again with letters to the editor in the I.J. and a cartoon in the paper as well.<br /><b>03/20/16</b> – Police arrested Shiloh Cokinos, 35 years and Kristina Ferrante, 29 years for stealing mail in San Rafael and Fairfax.<br /><b>03/24/16</b> – Comments started to come in regarding the design of the new Public Safety Center. Critics stated that the building was too massive and boring.<br /><b>03/24/16</b> – The City announced that they were going to beef up patrols in the area of Albert Park and B Street, due to homeless problems that consisted of public drunkenness, theft, loitering, vandalism and some violent crime. The announcement was made by Mayor Gary Phillips.<br /><b>03/28/16</b> – The I.J. had several letters to the editor regarding the homeless problem in San Rafael and the proposed moving of the Ritter Center.<br /><b><u>April:</u></b><br /><b>04/01/16</b> – A residence on Rivera Drive was burglarized. One of the items taken was an iPad. SRPD was able to use an app to track the iPad and they learned that it was in was at the Village Shopping Center in Corte Madera. PD found a car with three subjects in it. One suspect fled and the other two were arrested. Booked were Kayla Moss, 21 years and Brandon Silvas, 19 years.<br /><b>04/06/16</b> – A 34 year old male was walking on Verdi Street when two men in a white car approached him and robbed him at gunpoint. He was shot in the leg. The suspects fled.<br /><b>04/14/16</b> – Police responded to a report of a physical altercation on the Canal District. A short time later one of the participants, Leon Howard, 63 years, was found deceased in his car on Kerner Blvd. He apparently had a heart attack after the altercation. Howard worked for the Canal Alliance.<br /><b>04/20/16</b> – Officers received a report of a burglary in progress on Elizabeth Way. Officers arrested Daisy Edwards, 32 years and Chivonne Bozarth, 35 years. The suspects were sisters.<br /><b>04/22/16</b> – The City of San Rafael expanded its Social Host Ordinance to include drugs. The ordinance was established to curb teenage parties involving alcohol and drugs where the parents are held responsible.<br /><b>04/28/16</b> – Police pulled over a car for a traffic violation in the Canal District and determined that the driver, Daniel Martinez, 20 years, had a suspended license. A search of the car revealed a .44 cal. handgun. Martinez was identified as the suspect in the 4/6/16 shooting of a 34 year old male on Verdi Street. He was booked for Assault with a firearm.<br /><b><u>May:</u></b><br /><b>05/04/16</b> – A resident on Convent Court in the Dominican neighborhood was walking up his driveway when a male approached him and grabbed him and took his watch. The area was searched with negative results.<br /><b>05/06/16</b> – The suspect in the robbery on Convent Court was taken into custody in Kern County. On the day of the robbery a resident noted the license plate to at Kia that had been driving erratically in the neighborhood. The car was a rental vehicle and police tracked it through the GPS unit in the car. Booked for robbery and violation of parole was Corey Barnett, 25 years of Oakland.<br /><b></b><br /><b>05/05/16</b> – The Smart Train board began to establish rules for riders of the new train system. They also appointed Jennifer Welch, former Lt. with Novato P.D. as their new Police Chief.<br /><b>05/07/16</b> – The Civil Grand Jury suggested that Marin Police Departments should track and record guns that had been stolen from police vehicles. They suggested that all of the law enforcement agencies in the county establish a common policy regarding this issue. This was in response to several cases where guns were stolen from unmarked police cars and used in crimes.<br /><b>05/11/16</b> – Marin County Supervisors had questions regarding the new proposed MERA radio system. They were concerned that there were coverage gaps in system. Additional study was to be done.<br /><b>05/15/16</b> – Thirteen men were arrested as a result of the latest prostitution sting run by SRPD, MCSO and the Central Marin Police Authority. The suspects answered ads and when they went to a local hotel for the meeting they were arrested.<br /><b>05/17/16</b> – SRPD and the fire department responded to 960 Lincoln Avenue regarding a report of a fire there. Upon arrival they found occupant Adam Gans, 23 years outside. An investigation revealed that he started the fire. He was booked for arson.<br /><b>05/18/16</b> – SRPD held its annual awards ceremony at the City Council meeting. Over 20 awards were handed out to department employees.<br /><b>05/25/16</b> – Officers received a report of gunfire at a bus stop in Terra Linda. They located Alexsander Mysliviy, 24 years at the Highway 101 northbound bus pad at Freitas Pkwy. A 9 mm Glock was found in his possession. He was booked for being a felon in possession of a firearm.<br /><b>05/25/16</b> – A man driving a car by the transit center was stopped at a red light when two men walked up to his car, one with a gun and they attempted to hijack the car. The driver sped off after the light turned green, leaving the two suspects behind. They were not located.<br /><b>05/30/16</b> – A Richmond man, 29 year old Carl Washington, was arrested by SRPD for Human Trafficking after he attempted to prostitute a teenage girl who he had befriended in Richmond. When the girl tried to get away from him, he demanded $10,000 from her family. He was located in Richmond and arrested.<br /><b><u>June:</u></b><br /><b>06-01-16</b> – A 23 year old male was walking by Pickleweed Park when he was accosted by two men and robbed at gunpoint. The suspects fled but were later located several blocks away. A pellet gun was found under a nearby parked car. Arrested for robbery were Edgar Sosa, 26 years and Javier Huchim, 20 years. The suspects were spotted by an officer who was patrolling the neighborhood.<br /><b>06/07/16</b> – Officers received a report of an intoxicated male passed out in the street on Playa del Rey. They responded and the victim was transported to the hospital with some injuries. He died several days later. It is believed that he was intoxicated and possibly died as a result of a fall. Victim was Julio Rodas, 41 years old.<br /><b>06/10/16</b> – Officers responded to a report of a large truck that struck a pedestrian at Third and Hetherton Avenue. The pedestrian, identified as Tatyanna Zaslavsky, 77 years was pronounced dead. A similar accident in 2014 killed a pedestrian at the same intersection.<br /><b>06/15/16</b> – Many letters to the editor regarding making intersections safer in San Rafael were sent into the I.J. The City promised to investigate.<br /><b>06/16/16</b> – As a result of a shooting in Orlando where 49 people were killed, Marin D.A. Ed Berberian announced that he was going to hold another gun buyback program.<br /><b>06/17/16</b> – A new law went into effect stating that only persons 21 years or over could purchase tobacco.<br /><b>06/17/17</b> – East San Rafael experienced a series of brush fires over a period of several days. Just after the last fire was reported, officers observed a 13 year old boy in the area. He was questioned and he admitted to setting the fires. He was booked at Juvenile Hall.<br /><b>06/20/16</b> – In response to a desire by the City to move Ritter Center, a building in the industrial park of Terra Linda was examined as a possible site. This brought about many letters to the editor in opposition to the move to Terra Linda. While the debate continued over several weeks, the building was sold to another person, ending the proposed move.<br /><b>06/24/16</b> – SRPD arrested Anthony Sullivan, 23 years after an investigation revealed that he had been trading sexual images with a 14 year old girl. When the girl asked her father to go to the library, which she had never done before, the father became suspicious and checked her phone, which started the police investigation.<br /><b>06/28/16</b> – The Marin Civil Grand Jury issued a report that authorities needed to work together to crack down on human sex trafficking in Marin, which they claimed was unrecognized and underreported.<br /><b>06/30/16</b> – Ruben Torres, 26 years, broke down in court when he was found guilty of a gang shooting that took place on 10/22/13 on Kerner Blvd. The victim, after being shot, walked to a nearby firehouse for help. Cameron Weaver, 26 years, also a participant in the crime, was given an offer and in exchange he testified against Torres.<br /><b><u></u></b><br /><b><u>July:</u></b><br /><b>07/03/16</b> – The Marin Civil Grand Jury issued a report that the process for citizens making complaints against police officers was not uniform and was difficult to do. Sheriff Doyle responded by saying, “That’s not going to happen” because every agency needed to enact its own procedures.<br /><b>07/09/16</b> – Police agencies around Marin were on high alert after the shooting deaths of five Dallas Police Officers and the wounding of seven others.<br /><b>07/18/16</b> – Police agencies were stunned again with the shooting deaths of three police officers in Baton Rouge, La.<br /><b>07/27/16</b> – Officers responded to a report of a male and female in a domestic dispute on Larkspur Street. Upon arrival, the male assaulted the female, threw her out of the car and took off. Officers pursued the car on Francisco Blvd at speeds above 70 MPH. The man crashed head on into another car and then fled on foot, jumping into the bay by San Quentin. After one hour of being in the water, negotiators were able to talk the suspect out. Booked was Curtis Odom, 22 years of San Pablo.<br /><b>0728/16</b> – Despite opposition by the public to the building of the new Public Safety Building, the planning commission voted 5-0 in favor of the original plans, thus paving the way to continue on with the process.<br /><b>07/29/16</b> – SRPD received reports of a suspicious man with a duffle bag on the top floor of the parking structure behind the eight story office building at 1000 Four Street. Additional reports were that the man left the bag in the garage and then walked off. This triggered an evacuation of the office building and the apartments next door as well as Fourth Street. The U.C. Berkeley Bomb Squad also responded. During the ordeal, police found the owner of the bag and determined that he had put the bag down while he was playing Pokemon Go. Nothing suspicious in the bag was found.<br /><b><u>August:</u></b><br /><b>08/01/16</b> – SRPD celebrated National Night Out visiting many neighborhoods during the evening.<br /><b>08/05/16</b> – A woman who lives on Fair Drive returned to her home at 10:00 AM and interrupted a burglary in progress. Two males and a female confronted her, assaulted her and fled in a car. Officers were able to identify the car and they arrested the female, Kayla Toi Walker, 21 years. The other males remained at large, however they were recorded by a surveillance camera.<br /><b>08/11/16</b> – A man walking by 61 Novato Street was approached by three males who beat him and robbed him. After a 40 minute search, officers located the three suspects and arrested them for robbery. Booked was Ashwan Wells, 18 years and two minors.<br /><b>08/16/16</b> – A suspect wanted in a 2014 shooting in the Canal District was arrested by officers after they received a tip that he was back in the area. On the day of the shooting, the suspect, Jose Gramajo, now 23 years old, got into an argument with an acquaintance. The victim got into a car to flee Gramajo, however Gramajo pulled out a gun and shot at the car, striking the victim causing serious injuries. He was booked for attempted murder.<br /><b>08/17/16</b> – On 6/15/05, twenty-five year old Ana Mejia was found murdered in a motel room at the San Rafael Inn. Police identified the suspect as former boyfriend Francisco Carrillo-Perez, who fled the scene and returned to his native country of Guatemala. He was arrested in Guatemala in December of 2014 and returned to the United States. He plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter and received a sentence of 21 years in prison. Mejia was the mother of his four children.<br /><b>08/18/16</b> – A new team to reduce homelessness, called HOT for Homeless Outreach Team, was reported to have made progress on the homeless problem in town. It was reported that in the first four months they took 11 chronically homeless persons off the street.<br /><b>08/19/16</b> – SRPD was asked to help investigate an in custody death that took place in the county psychiatric ward at Marin General Hospital. Silivenust Namato-Ravoni, 46 years, fled from the unit and was apprehended by the Marin Sheriff’s Department and Central Marin P.D. The subject was returned to MGH where he passed away.<br /><b>08/26/16</b> – Police responded to a report of a body floating in the canal across from San Rafael High School. The body of Fairfax resident John Dunselman, 41 years was recovered by the fire department. Foul play was not suspected.<br /><b><u>September:</u></b><br /><b>09/01/16</b> – In December of 2014, officers received a report that a young female had been molested by a family friend. Officers identified the suspect as Marco Vincent-Gonzales, 31 years. As the investigation began, the suspect fled to Guatemala. This year the suspect was located and he was extradited back to the United States to face prosecution.<br /><b>09/14/16</b> – The County of Marin completed its second gun buyback program. SRPD was one of the drop off points for the one day event. A total of $80,000 was paid out to persons turning in guns. They ran out of money by mid afternoon. A total of 685 firearms were turned in.<br /><b>09/20/16</b> – San Rafael has had parking meters for many years. This year 10 new purple parking meters were added to the downtown streets. The meters, part of the new “Put Your Change to Work” program, were designed for people to donate to the homeless program without giving money directly to panhandlers.<br /><b>09/22/16</b> – SRPD arrested 23-year-old Alfredo Jimenez-Vallejo for molesting two of his landlord’s daughters, both of whom were under 14 years of age. The suspect was renting a room in the residence when the offenses occurred. He was booked under $1 million bail.<br /><b>09/26/16</b> – SRPD conducted an enforcement operation in three parts of town that were considered to be high crime areas. A total of 6 subjects were booked and another 6 were cited for various crimes. The arrests were made in the Mahon Creek area, the transit center and Albert Park.<br /><b></b><br /><b>09/27/16 </b>– Police arrested a man who had been molesting a young female over a period of time. Booked for continuous sexual abuse was 39-year-old Jorge Vasquez. The investigation began when the victim’s mother found out about the situation and notified police. The molestation began when the victim was 11 years old.<br /><b>09/28/16</b> – SRPD responded to a man unconscious in the street at 340 Bellam Blvd, who turned out to have life threatening injuries. An investigation revealed that the subject was in a fight with another man and when the victim was knocked down, a car ran over him. The driver of the car fled as police arrived. The fight started in a restaurant and ended up in the street. Police arrested the man who hit the victim and he was identified as Henry Deras-Valdez, 21 years of San Rafael.<br /><b><u>October:</u></b><br /><b>10/05/16</b> – SRPD launched its first Pink Patch Project. The standard shoulder patch was reproduced in pink to honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Officers wore the patches for the month of October.<br /><b>10/08/16</b> – SRPD received a report of a male looking into cars at the Target store. Upon arrival of officers, the suspect, identified as William Goetz, 33 years, ran from officers. He went to the BMW dealership and asked to borrow a car because the police were after him. When he was refused he ran across Highway 580 and took a truck parked on the road. Officers got into a pursuit with him across the Richmond Bridge. He finally crashed in Richmond and was taken into custody.<br /><b>10/14/16</b> – In 2009, SRPD worked a stalking case involving suspect Barry Griff, 66 years. The victim was the mother of his child. Before he could be arrested, Griff fled to Laos. He was put on the SRPD Most Wanted List and during the month of October, Griff’s name turned up on a passenger list on a flight from Thailand to San Francisco. He was detained at SFO when he arrived and then booked. He plead guilty in November and received a 6 month jail sentence.<br /><b>10/14/16</b> – A female was driving home from the County Club Bowl at 1:30 AM, when two men stopped her car on Vivian Way. They hijacked her car and one of the men, with a knife put the victim in the back seat and he attempted to assault her while the other suspect drive the car around the Canal District. Several days later officers found the victim’s car at the 7-11 Store with the suspect with the knife in it. Booked for carjacking and assault was Fabio Hernandez-Martinez, 18 years.<br /><b>10/17/16</b> – Terrence Boren, a former Deputy District Attorney and a Superior Court Judge, retired. He was a prosecutor for 21 years and he was appointed to the bench in 1995. Boren was known for his soft-spoken graciousness on the bench and his drive to put major felons away for the longest time possible in the most appellate-proof manner possible. Boren was considered to be one of the most respected judges in the county.<br /><b>10/18/16</b> – Marin County’s only public shooting range and one of two gun dealerships closed after 23 years in San Rafael. Bullseye Shooting Range could not come to terms with its landlord and closed down.<br /><b>10/19/16</b> – A human trafficking task force cited 15 men during a prostitution sting at hotels in San Rafael. The stings were conducted as part of Operation Cross Country, a nationwide effort to reduce sex trafficking. The SRPD, Central Marin Police Authority and the Marin Sheriff’s Department were involved in the operation.<br /><b>10/28/16</b> – Winston Searles, 21 years, had a dog who was ill and he took it to the Pet Emergency Hospital on Francisco Blvd. While there he became distraught and he threatened to get a gun and kill the entire staff. He was booked for making criminal threats.<br /><b><u>November:</u></b><br /><b>11/08/16</b> – A man and his child were walking on Sonoma Street in the Canal District when they were confronted by two men, one who had a replica gun. They attempted to rob the victim; however the victim refused to turn over any money. Several nearby residents then confronted the robbers and a brief fight ensued. The suspects fled but were captured by officers a short distance away. Booked for attempted robbery were Oliver Almonoz, 18 years and Ashawn Wells, 18 years.<br /><b>11/09/16</b> – State voters approved the use of recreational marijuana. The measure was approved by Marin voters.<br /><b>11/11/16</b> – SRPD was awarded a $100,000 traffic grant for one year for enforcement and public awareness operations.<br /><b>11/21/16</b> – About 300 people marched down Fourth Street in protest of the election of Donald Trump. Police monitored the march and no problems were reported.<br /><b>11/28/16</b> – SRPD conducted an underage decoy operation at various locations in town and arrested three and cited two. The operation was funded through a grant by the ABC.<br /><b>11/28/16</b> – SRPD bicycle officers got a little more peddle power when the department purchased four electric bikes capable of traveling at speeds up to 28 miles per hour. The bikes cost $3,000 each. Mike’s Bikes sold them to the PD at a discounted price.<br /><b>11/30/16</b> – A 74 year old man was on a morning walk on McInnis Parkway, when a male approached him and punched him in the face and continued to beat him, causing significant injuries. An iPod was taken from the victim. The suspect fled and was not located.<br /><b>11/30/16</b> – An officer attempted to pull over a vehicle in the Canal District that was wearing on Francisco Blvd. The driver refused to yield to the police vehicle and led officers on a chase throughout the Canal area. He finally crashed in some bushes at Hoag and Front Street. He was taken into custody and booked for DUI. The suspect, Abner Mendez, 20 years, had four other cases pending in Marin Superior Court.<br /><b><u>December:</u></b><br /><b>12/01/16</b> – A six-year prison sentence was handed down to 39-year-old Cesar Hernandez-Romero. He accepted a plea deal of one count of molesting a child younger than 14 years old. The investigation revealed that he had molested the child in 2015.<br /><b>12/02/16</b> – Marin County District Attorney Ed Berberian announced that he would be retiring and he would not seek re-election in 2018. Berberian joined the District Attorney’s Office in 1976 and he became District Attorney in 2005. Berberian, 69, stated that he would be spending more time traveling and with his family.<br /><b>12/08/16</b> – A San Rafael High School student reported a man in a car across the street from the school involved in lewd acts. Police responded and found the suspect, Pedro Gomez, 31 years, masturbating in his car. He was booked for indecent exposure.<br /><b>12/09/16</b> – A burglary occurred at the Sherwin-Williams store on DuBois Street on 12/04/16. A paint sprayer and other items were taken. An investigation revealed that the items were for sale on the Internet. Police offered to purchase the items and undercover officers met the suspects in Novato. Arrested for possession of stolen property was Jaime Cisneros, 23 years. At the time of the arrest he had a five-year-old child in the car along with a loaded assault weapon. Also booked was Francisco Calixtro-Leon, 20 years, who was a passenger in the car.<br /><b>12/15/16</b> – The annual Santa Cop program got into full swing at the National Guard Armory. More than 200 volunteers were there to wrap presents for children from families in need.<br /><b>12/19/16</b> – Peter Newcome, 66 years, went into the Shell Station at Second and Fourth Street to buy a bag of Doritos. During the purchase, Newcome got into an altercation with the clerk and Newcome punched the clerk and fled. Officers caught up with him and he was booked for robbery on Christmas morning. The D.A. declined to file charges.<br /><b>12/21/16</b> – The San Rafael City Council heard a presentation from SRPD to install fixed license plate reader cameras in the city. Several other Marin cities already have them. The council took in the information and did not make a decision at the time.<br /><b>12/24/16</b> – The Union Bank located at 630 Las Gallinas Avenue, was robbed at 5:25 p.m. The suspect, who escaped was described as a white male, 40 to 45 years old.<br /><b>12/28/16</b> – The pink parking meters, installed in September for citizens to donate money to the homeless program, collected $1,100 in three months.<br /><b><u>Homicides:</u></b><br />San Rafael recorded no homicides for the year 2016. The last reported homicide in the city was on 9-9-2011 when Alicia Griffiths was killed in her Canal District apartment. Robert Lee Bradley, 51 was booked for her murder and received a sentence of 9 years in prison. This is one of the longest stretches of no homicides in the history of the city.<b><u></u></b><br /><b><u>In Memoriam</u></b><br /><b><u></u></b><br /><b>02/13/16</b> – Long time retired Marin Sheriff’s Deputy Bill Vota passed away. He served with MCSO for 30 years. <br /><b>02/22/16</b> – MCSO retired Lt. John Brunslik passed away after a surgery. He served for over 33 years with the Sheriff’s Department.<br /><b>04/25/16</b> – Bill Kay, a volunteer for the San Rafael Police Department for 28 years passed away. He was 88 years old. He had retired from the police department in January.<br /><b>05/05/16</b> – Bonnie Carson, a volunteer with SRPD since 2003 passed away. She primarily worked on pawn tickets. She was 88 years old.<br /><b>06/23/16</b> – Ideal Gambera, a volunteer with the San Rafael Police Department, passed away at the age of 90 years. He had spent his career as a school teacher in the L.A. area and moved to the Bay Area in 1968 where he continued teaching. He started his volunteer work SRPD in 1993.<br /><b>08/06/16</b> – Susan BeBaca-Courteau, who was a welfare investigator in Sonoma and Marin passed away at the age of 67 years. At the age of 38, Susan was selected by the Marin County District Attorney’s Office to be their first female investigator.<br /><b>08/29/16</b> – Riva Richmond, who was one of the first female patrol deputies for the Marin Sheriff’s Department, passed away. She was 88 years old.<br /><b></b><br /><b>08/30/16</b> – Edward Alves, a retired Marin Sheriff’s Deputy who served for many years, passed away at the age of 89. He attained the rank of sergeant and he was active in the Sheriff’s Posse. <br /><b>10/14/16</b> – Tony Hoke, former SRPD officer and Twin Cities Police Captain, passed away after heart surgery. He is survived by his wife Marie and two sons, Anthony and Michael.<br /><br />End of Report<br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;">Copyright 2017 Harry Barbier – All Rights Reserved</span>Gene Penningtonhttps://plus.google.com/101641436202990214526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57639014083502389.post-66115277081585158772016-12-30T08:12:00.001-08:002016-12-30T22:11:07.489-08:00History Watch: “Curse You Red Baron”<u><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">History Watch:</span></u><br /><u><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">“Curse You Red Baron”</span></u><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">It was December of 1969.&nbsp; The nation, tired from a turbulent decade of the sixties, was ready to move on to a new era that would hopefully bring renewed energy and peace.&nbsp; The 1960’s gave us campus protests, free love, drugs and rock and roll, not to mention the assassination</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">&nbsp;of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King and of course, Vietnam.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">In the police world, advancements in technology were starting to happen.&nbsp; The county police departments were talking about using a repeater system for their car radios to improve reception.&nbsp; During this time, patrol cars still had the old 100 watt radios made of tubes and transistors and many of the departments in the county shared the same frequency.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">Changes had already been made with the teletype system.&nbsp; The old RC-28 teletype machine, that printed at a rate of 75 words a minute and that had been in the San Rafael Police Department for many years, had just been replaced by a new system called CLETS.&nbsp; This machine printed at an impressive rate of 100 words a minute and it was easier to send messages out.&nbsp; All you had to do was type out a message on the machine and it would cut holes in a paper tape.&nbsp; You could type the message at your convenience and when ready to send, you just ran the paper tape through it and away it went, kind of like a player piano.&nbsp; Everything in those days was printed on paper as there were no computers then.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">As we all know, when a police agency gets a new toy everyone wants to use it and sometimes not for the purpose for which it was intended.&nbsp; In late December of 1969, someone with a good deal of talent created a teletype that was a cartoon of Snoopy Cursing the Red Baron and wishing everyone a happy 1970.&nbsp; The teletype got sent around a few departments in Marin and the Bay Area, which was very nice, however it took the CLETS machine about 40 minutes to print out the entire cartoon.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">When the cartoon first came in on the SRPD machine, one of our enterprising cadets duplicated the cartoon cutting the image on a paper tape.&nbsp; It was time consuming, yet worth the effort.&nbsp; It is said that the tape ran from the dispatch room (where it still is today) down the hall and out into the parking lot.&nbsp; </span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">On New Year’s Eve, 1969, that enterprising cadet thought it would be a good idea to send out a friendly Happy New Year greeting to all of the police agencies in Marin.&nbsp; The cadet loaded the tape in the machine and sent it out.&nbsp; But there was one problem; the message was accidently sent out nationwide to every police agency, shutting down the entire law enforcement teletype network for 40 minutes as machines across the nation went to work typing out the special greeting. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">There was an inquiry, however in those days such acts were more forgiving.&nbsp; San Rafael Police Chief Joseph Brusatori said it best by stating, “I know you didn’t do it, just don’t do it again!”</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">Attached is a photo of that famous teletype that shut down the teletype system throughout the nation on December 31, 1969.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">Happy New Year Everyone!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">Copyright 2016 Harry Barbier – All Rights Reserved</span><br /><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eNUPMAPTxe4/WGaHbkobkyI/AAAAAAAB71E/nLc7aQOHFcQ/s1600-h/Teletype%252520%2525201970%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Teletype 1970" border="0" height="676" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FVRjVKGMN2o/WGaHc0OzeMI/AAAAAAAB71I/lkUqce2jrv4/Teletype%252520%2525201970_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Teletype 1970" width="369" /></a>Gene Penningtonhttps://plus.google.com/101641436202990214526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57639014083502389.post-38410991685097044662016-10-27T16:20:00.001-07:002016-10-27T16:22:04.152-07:00History Watch: “The Israeli”<p align="center"><font size="3" face="Tahoma">History Watch</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma"></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">“The Israeli”</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Most residential burglars have two rules they live by.&#160; Get in and take what you can and don’t hurt anyone.&#160; With a national clearance rate of about 11 percent, burglary is not a bad crime to commit as long as you live by those two rules.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">But there was one person in Marin who apparently did not get the memo.&#160; Mohmud Jamal, a 27 year old citizen of Israel, was gainfully employed as a residential burglar in late 1990 and early 1991.&#160; He drove a stolen white Nissan and during the day he would drive around Marin County and break into houses and get whatever loot he could.&#160; In fact he became very good at his profession having successfully performed over 30 burglaries without any police interference.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">But as most criminals do, Jamal became a little too greedy, continuing to burglarize homes during daylight hours.&#160; It all came to an ugly end on January 24, 1991.&#160; On that day, Jamal was out and about in his white Nissan casing neighborhoods thinking that it would be just another day at the office.&#160; After all, he thought the police had no idea who he was, but that was not exactly the case.&#160; </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">The police, who had wanted to put an end to this crime series, started to go out and look for the suspect.&#160; At 12:15 PM, a Twin Cities detective was patrolling Corte Madera in an unmarked car when he spotted Jamal in the white Nissan.&#160; The detective felt that it might be a match and he started to follow Jamal who drove north on Highway 101 and into the Terra Linda area of San Rafael.&#160; San Rafael P. D. had been notified and Officer Larry Holguin attempted to pull the car over on the frontage road by Freitas Parkway.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Jamal, who apparently made a promise to himself to never get caught, took off in the car with Holguin in pursuit.&#160; Jamal had one other thing going for him to aid in his escape.&#160; He had a loaded handgun in the car. Jamal drove south on Highway 101 where he turned around at the San Pedro Road exit and he then got back onto Highway 101 northbound.&#160; By the time he got to Novato, there were eight police units behind him.&#160; Jamal took the Rowland Blvd. exit and got back on the highway going southbound towards San Rafael reaching speeds of over 100 miles per hour.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">He continued to San Rafael where he took the Andersen Drive exit by the Highway 580 overpass where he promptly crashed his car.&#160; Highway Patrol Officer Jerry Monge was one of the first officers there and he watched as Jamal bailed from the car holding a handgun.&#160; The car chase had now turned into a foot chase with officers in pursuit.&#160; Jamal ran toward Cox Automotive on Bellam Blvd. and Andersen Drive and he ran under the old railroad trestle on Woodland Avenue.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">When he saw that officers were closing in on him, he promptly fired shots at them to get them to stop.&#160; San Rafael Officers Jim Cook and Mike Fielding ordered the suspect to stop and when he refused, Fielding shot him in the abdomen, bringing Jamal’s crime spree to an end.&#160; Jamal was promptly taken into custody and he was transported to the hospital with serious injuries. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Jamal was booked on charges of attempted murder of a police officer and auto theft.&#160; A search warrant was obtained for Jamal’s San Rafael apartment and truck loads of stolen property were found there.&#160; Jamal, who broke the rules by arming himself and shooting at the police received a long prison sentence.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Attached are two photos showing the aftermath of the chase.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Copyright 2016 Harry Barbier – All Rights Reserved</font></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ou4_yPSZeuY/WBKLynffDPI/AAAAAAABwI0/mApUTR23OY0/s1600-h/Officer%252520Involved%252520Shooting%252520-%2525201-25-91%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="Officer Involved Shooting - 1-25-91" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Officer Involved Shooting - 1-25-91" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vl9WxGtJjVw/WBKLz662n0I/AAAAAAABwI4/Xxf4UIxoqYw/Officer%252520Involved%252520Shooting%252520-%2525201-25-91_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="636" height="565" /></a></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mh6X0iLwcKU/WBKL1HAMOnI/AAAAAAABwI8/1oOMiPR5n6s/s1600-h/Officer%252520Involved%252520Shooting-1-25-91%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="Officer Involved Shooting-1-25-91" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Officer Involved Shooting-1-25-91" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NJ-Y3NUD8Z0/WBKL2NBeoPI/AAAAAAABwJA/i_q2cG9kQE4/Officer%252520Involved%252520Shooting-1-25-91_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="619" height="422" /></a></p>Gene Penningtonhttps://plus.google.com/101641436202990214526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57639014083502389.post-44548689772309268372016-08-22T19:52:00.000-07:002016-08-22T19:52:47.202-07:00Social Media | Easy access to your friends list is a Spoofer's best friend | Cloud content from SuperSite for Windows<a href="http://winsupersite.com/cloud/hide-your-facebook-friends-list-spoofers">Social Media | Easy access to your friends list is a Spoofer's best friend | Cloud content from SuperSite for Windows</a>: <br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/pengoopmcjnbflcjbmoeodbmoflcgjlk" style="font-size: 13px;">'via Blog this'</a>Gene Penningtonhttps://plus.google.com/101641436202990214526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57639014083502389.post-48913572793818923382016-05-18T08:49:00.002-07:002016-05-18T08:49:57.053-07:00History Watch: “Yellow is the New Red….Or is it?”<b><u><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium;"></span></u></b><br /><b><u><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium;">History Watch:</span></u></b><br /><u><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">Yellow is the New Red…..Or is it?</span></u><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">San Rafael Fire Department engines have been painted red since the beginning of time.&nbsp; Even the horse drawn buggies that were used before motor vehicles were painted red.&nbsp; But somewhere along the line San Rafael’s fire engines suddenly started to turn yellow.&nbsp; How did this happen and why?&nbsp; Was there a particular reason for it and when did it all start.&nbsp; Believe it or not, there was one particular day that yellow became the new red.&nbsp; It all started on a summer morning on August 26, 1960.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">It was Friday and the J. B. Rice Hardware Company, located at West Francisco Blvd. and Rice Street (there was no Rice Street back then) had been open for business for several hours.&nbsp; At about 10:00 AM a small fire started in the back of the building.&nbsp; Employees tried to control the blaze but they could not and they got everyone out of the structure.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">The San Rafael Fire Department was called and Engine 2 (known as Engine 52 today) from the Montecito Fire Station was one of the first on scene.&nbsp; Upon arrival it appeared that the fire would be a small one, but flames managed to reach some flammable items in the store and the fire took off with great speed.&nbsp; Additional fire units were called but the fire burned so fast and hot it soon became apparent that it would be difficult to save any part of the building. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">As the fire progressed, a general alarm was sounded.&nbsp; Firefighters watched as the entire building became engulfed in smoke and flame.&nbsp; The flames were so hot that two cars parked by the building started to burn.&nbsp; At that point firefighters realized that they had made a tactical error when parking Engine 2.&nbsp; Upon arrival, they parked the engine too close to the building and flames heavily damaged the vehicle as it was too hot to move it to safety.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">After it was all over, there stood a shell of a building and one partially destroyed fire engine.&nbsp; Instead of buying a new one, the city decided to have the engine repaired and six months later it reappeared and was assigned back to the Montecito station, with one major change.&nbsp; The engine was now yellow and it stood out among the other red fire engines.&nbsp; Over the next 53 years, San Rafael’s fire engines slowly turned from red to yellow as they either got refurbished or replaced.&nbsp; The theory was that engines had better visibility if they were yellow.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">Then in 2013, the City of San Rafael ordered two brand new engines.&nbsp; One was assigned to the main fire station and the other went to the Montecito station.&nbsp; But what a shocker, both of these fine new engines were red in color, reversing a 53 year trend.&nbsp; And that is how San Rafael’s fire engines went from being red to yellow and back to red again.&nbsp; Let’s face it, red looks a whole lot better.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">Attached are two photos of the J.B. Rice fire.&nbsp; One was taken from the top of San Rafael Hill and the other was taken from street level, showing two cars about to be engulfed in flame.&nbsp; The lot where the building was located is still vacant to this day.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;"><br /></span>Copyright 2016 Harry Barbier – All Rights Reserved<br /><br /><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--ctjXVVWSs8/VzyOu1pKX_I/AAAAAAABs4A/3jVEU-xFhgE/s1600-h/J.B.%252520Rice%252520Fire%252520%252520-8-26-60%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="J.B. Rice Fire -8-26-60" border="0" height="607" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9P-oqblf8ac/VzyOwqJpF8I/AAAAAAABs4E/uK35Pc-jJ-o/J.B.%252520Rice%252520Fire%252520%252520-8-26-60_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="J.B. Rice Fire -8-26-60" width="756" /></a><br /><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OZ7EX4FvUDM/VzyOx-cxR0I/AAAAAAABs4I/U70K_tTn6Zk/s1600-h/J.B.%252520Rice%252520Fire%252520-%2525208-26-60%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="J.B. Rice Fire - 8-26-60" border="0" height="760" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-J62pNME8NIk/VzyOyxkOFDI/AAAAAAABs4M/QTmO-AhRoj4/J.B.%252520Rice%252520Fire%252520-%2525208-26-60_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="J.B. Rice Fire - 8-26-60" width="762" /></a>Gene Penningtonhttps://plus.google.com/101641436202990214526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57639014083502389.post-8419727919461082592016-03-21T09:01:00.001-07:002016-03-21T09:01:14.927-07:00History Watch: “Light at the End of the Tunnel”<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">History Watch: </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Light at the End of the Tunnel"<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">July in Marin is one of the best times of the year.&nbsp; The days are warm but with fog along the coast it is not too hot and it makes San Rafael a great place for summer activities.&nbsp; Such was the case on a warm summer day on July 20, 1961.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Two 12 year old boys were taking advantage of the great weather by going swimming at a public swimming pool in Santa Venetia.&nbsp; But sometimes young boys get a little too rambunctious and these two did precisely that, which caused them to get kicked out of the pool for the day.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With nothing to do the boys looked around for some type of activity to relieve their boredom.&nbsp; They started walking into the Terra Linda area and when they got to the north end of the Northwestern Pacific railroad tunnel by Los Ranchitos Road they decided to do some exploring. Excavated in 1879, Tunnel No. 4 connected the rail line between San Rafael’s main station to one in the Los Ranchitos area and points north.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Angry that they had been removed from the pool, they walked into the tunnel.&nbsp; The boys walked to the south end of the tunnel on the Lincoln Avenue side where they stopped to decide on their plan of action.&nbsp; The boys had matches and some rags and they decided to start a small fire.&nbsp; The small fire turned into a larger fire when the flames reached the wooden support beams that had been soaked in creosote which was used to extend the life of the wood.&nbsp; Wood and creosote burn very well and the fire got out of control quickly.&nbsp; The boys ran from the tunnel as the fire started to build in volume.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The San Rafael Fire Department started to receive calls of smoke coming out of the Lincoln Avenue end of the tunnel at about 3:30 P.M. They responded to investigate and upon their arrival they were met by large volumes of smoke. Firefighters immediately set hoses up at the Lincoln Avenue end and additional fire engines went to the north end of the tunnel.&nbsp; One of the problems was that the tunnel was about 2000 feet long and the afternoon westerly winds blowing in over the hills of Terra Linda entered the north end causing the fire to burn very quickly.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By about 4:30 P.M. the tunnel had turned into an inferno with large volumes of smoke pouring out of the Lincoln Avenue side.&nbsp; Firefighters were frustrated as they now had a large fire on their hands which could only be fought from either end of the tunnel.&nbsp; Fire departments from all over the county responded to assist.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the fire grew, firefighters and other city personnel started to worry that the tunnel might collapse; however there was some confusion about where the tunnel actually ran. Most people did not think that it would be an issue as the tunnel was very deep under the ground and the thought was that the fire would burn itself out without any major problems. Fire engines and people were spread out all over the north end of Lincoln Avenue where they were staging for the fight.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The fire continued to burn fiercely with no other damage reported.&nbsp; But at about 6:00 P.M. catastrophe struck.&nbsp; Without any warning a 100 foot section of the roadway at the top of Lincoln Avenue collapsed.&nbsp; People who were close to the fifty foot hole ran for safety and after a few minutes when things settled down, firefighters noticed that besides the collapse, something was terribly wrong.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Moments before the road gave way, twenty three year old Tiburon Firefighter Frank Kinsler was sitting in a Tiburon Fire pickup truck that was parked in the middle of Lincoln Avenue.&nbsp; One second he was there and the next second he was gone.&nbsp; The truck with Firefighter Kinsler inside had disappeared into the chasm.&nbsp;&nbsp; Firefighters rushed to the edge of the cave-in but were met with smoke and flames. He was not to be rescued that day.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At about 6:30 PM, things got worse.&nbsp; Realizing that they could not save Kinsler, the firefighter’s attention was drawn to an apartment house located at Lincoln Avenue and Fair Drive.&nbsp; Small amounts of smoke were coming from the building and upon investigating, their worst fears were realized.&nbsp; The tunnel had also partially collapsed under the building, setting it on fire. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Firefighters had their hands full.&nbsp; The tunnel was still raging with fire, a firefighter was lost when the street gave way and an apartment building was now on fire.&nbsp; More fire units were called and after several hours, fire crews put out the fire in the apartment complex.&nbsp; The fire in the tunnel was brought under control, ironically assisted by the collapse that helped to put out the flames. Firefighters brought in heavy equipment to recover the truck and body of Firefighter Kinsler, however it took two days of digging to make the recovery.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The San Rafael Police Department went into action and they soon identified the two juveniles who started the fire.&nbsp; They both confessed and they were subsequently arrested.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The tunnel was rebuilt and opened in 1967 at a cost of 2.8 million dollars.&nbsp; The apartment house that was destroyed by the fire became a vacant lot for the next 53 years until a new apartment building was built in 2014.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kinsler joined the ranks of a small group of firefighters who have lost their lives in Marin County fighting fires.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Attached are two photos.&nbsp; The first photo shows firefighters fighting the apartment house fire and the second shows the recovery efforts to bring the fire truck and the body of Kinsler out of the deep hole.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This article is dedicated to the memory of Tiburon Firefighter Frank Kinsler.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Copyright 2016 Harry Barbier – All Rights Reserved</span><br /><br /><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NktHHZJ9xRA/VvAaToPCq6I/AAAAAAABsos/i-UIwPyvT-U/s1600-h/Lincoln%252520Tunnel%252520Fire%252520-%2525207-20-61%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Lincoln Tunnel Fire - 7-20-61" border="0" height="551" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YS4DV9DUL0Q/VvAaUsec7PI/AAAAAAABsow/odrBVzL9epM/Lincoln%252520Tunnel%252520Fire%252520-%2525207-20-61_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Lincoln Tunnel Fire - 7-20-61" width="538" /></a><br /><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gtrRxb82bF8/VvAaVrJUz4I/AAAAAAABso0/msSaejC_W-U/s1600-h/Lincoln%252520Tunnel%252520Fire%252520-7-21-61%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Lincoln Tunnel Fire -7-21-61" border="0" height="552" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8uoI6JtnZF8/VvAaWo8AGbI/AAAAAAABso4/1GVyeIS7ClA/Lincoln%252520Tunnel%252520Fire%252520-7-21-61_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Lincoln Tunnel Fire -7-21-61" width="543" /></a>Gene Penningtonhttps://plus.google.com/101641436202990214526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57639014083502389.post-41716836512028478472016-01-28T22:14:00.000-08:002016-01-28T22:14:42.318-08:00San Rafael police volunteer steps down after 28 years<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">SRPD Volunteer Bill Kay is stepping down from his position after putting in 28 years! &nbsp;Wow! &nbsp;For those of us who have worked with Bill, you know what a great person he was and how often he helped in Investigations. &nbsp;Congratulations to Bill! &nbsp;Enjoy your retirement!</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.marinij.com/general-news/20160128/san-rafael-police-volunteer-steps-down-after-28-years?utm_source=dlvr.it&amp;utm_medium=twitter">San Rafael police volunteer steps down after 28 years</a>: <br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/pengoopmcjnbflcjbmoeodbmoflcgjlk" style="font-size: 13px;">'via Blog this'</a>Gene Penningtonhttps://plus.google.com/101641436202990214526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57639014083502389.post-24592865964709978742016-01-28T13:50:00.000-08:002016-01-28T13:50:54.929-08:00History Watch: “Billy Shannon's Villa”<b><u><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">History Watch:</span></u></b><br /><u><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><br /></span></u><u><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">“Billy Shannon’s Villa”</span></u><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Have you ever driven around San Rafael and looked at some of the buildings and wondered what was there back in the day?&nbsp; San Rafael has retained some of its original buildings from the 1800’s but most lots have newer structures.&nbsp; There is probably a story for every lot and building in town, but there is one parcel in San Rafael that has a very colorful history attached to it. This lot is the triangle shaped parcel in the west end of San Rafael where Fourth Street and Second Street merge.&nbsp; Today a Shell gas station sits there next to an IHop Restaurant.&nbsp; But that was not the case in 1906 when a two story wooden building sat there called Billy Shannon’s Villa. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Our story starts with a short-time lightweight champion boxer named Billy Shannon.&nbsp; He ran a training gym south of Market Street in San Francisco, but after the great earthquake, he moved his operation to San Rafael’s West End in 1906.&nbsp; Shannon provided living quarters for fighters and his wife cooked them meals.&nbsp; On weekends and holidays throngs of fans took the train to Shannon’s establishment to watch the boxers spar, bet on their favorites and drink steamed beer.&nbsp; The saloon even had a ladies’ section with private rooms for dancing and piano playing. The site was also a popular destination for weddings. Heavyweight rivals “Gentleman Jim” Corbett and Joe Choynski often sparred at Shannon’s, which drew large crowds. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Joe Gans, the first Black boxing champ and lightweight champion from 1902 to 1908 spent many days there.&nbsp; Large groups of sporting men often watched Gans workout for his fights.&nbsp; Gans would complete his usual morning 14 mile run and then fight later in the day.&nbsp; Gans fought 155 opponents losing only eight fights.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">At that time the San Rafael Police Department consisted of Town Marshall John E. Healy who served in this capacity from the 1890’s to 1915.&nbsp; He was then elected as San Rafael’s first Police Chief, serving from 1915 to 1919.&nbsp; One can only imagine that Healy must have handled a good number of calls at this establishment.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Children who had to walk past the building were told by their parents to look straight ahead and not to talk to, “Any of those men” who spent a good part of the day sitting in captain’s chairs on the Fourth Street side of the building watching everyone go by.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Shannon’s training camp closed in 1914 when professional boxing was temporarily outlawed in California, but the saloon was reported to have stayed open until Prohibition closed its doors in 1919.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">If you have an occasion to drive past that Shell Station at Second and Fourth Street, take a moment and imagine a two story wooden building with groups of hearty men sitting outside in their chairs watching everyone pass by.&nbsp; Perhaps the ghosts of many of those boxers from days past still have a presence there.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Attached is a photo of Billy Shannon’s Villa with those prize fighters all dressed up posing in front of the building.&nbsp; The gentleman standing at the far left might possibly be Champion Joe Gans, but I guess we will never know.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Copyright 2015 Harry Barbier – All Rights Reserved</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><br /></span><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kzP9zk9sFzg/VqqMNgMSlbI/AAAAAAABrhg/_V-mV6MMmoc/s1600-h/Billy%252520Shannon%252527s%252520Villa%252520-%252520Circa%2525201912%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Billy Shannon's Villa - Circa 1912" border="0" height="535" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-miMweAKWO0o/VqqMP-dCWTI/AAAAAAABrho/vjJpQMPg3kw/Billy%252520Shannon%252527s%252520Villa%252520-%252520Circa%2525201912_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Billy Shannon's Villa - Circa 1912" width="704" /></a>Gene Penningtonhttps://plus.google.com/101641436202990214526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57639014083502389.post-27565458374429924852016-01-05T11:30:00.002-08:002016-01-05T11:32:13.600-08:00San Rafael Police Department - The Year in Review for 2015<b><u>January:</u></b><br /><b>01/01/15</b> – Acting on a tip from the FBI, San Rafael Police arrested Samantha Johns, 19, for Human Trafficking at the Transit Center.<br /><b>01/06/15</b> – The City Council put a 45 day freeze on applications for any new massage parlors in an effort to reduce the number of sexual massage parlors in the city.<br /><b>01/12/15</b> – A fight at Canal and Fairfax Streets led to the shooting of one person who was found a short distance away. Injuries were not life threatening. No suspects were reported.<br /><b>01/14/15</b> – The Marin Independent Journal ran an article concerning Marin Police Departments acquiring weapons and other items from the Federal Government. This included a Rescue Vehicle obtained by SRPD.<br /><b>01/22/15</b> – During an awards ceremony at the Civic Center, two apparent gunshots were heard inside the building, which resulted in a large police response where the entire building was searched. The reported shots were traced to two tires popping on a wheelchair.<br /><b>01/23/15</b> – SRPD officers responded to 355 Canal Street regarding a gang fight. Two persons were stabbed and one suspect, Jorge Martinez was arrested for the assaults.<br /><b>01/26/15</b> – Boyd Park was ordered closed by Mayor Gary Phillips in an effort to move the homeless from camping on the site. The city also planned a cleanup of the park.<br /><b><u>February:</u></b><br /><b>02/07/15</b> – SRPD officers responded to a juvenile party on San Marino Drive and detained about 75 juveniles who had alcohol present. The party was put on by two sisters while their parents were out of town. Several were cited.<br /><b>02/13/15</b> – SRPD officers, in an attempt to curtain drug dealing at the transit center, arrested three people for drug violations during an operation there.<br /><b><u>March:</u></b><br /><b>03/14/15</b> – SRPD arrested Pablo Ajpop-Tcoz for rape after an investigation revealed that he sexually assaulted a 36 year old female in the Canal District.<br /><b>03/23/15</b> – SRPD started a private surveillance camera registry. The program invited businesses and home owners with surveillance cameras to register with the P.D. in order for officers to quickly access footage of crimes. The program is voluntary.<br /><b></b><br /><b>03/24/15</b> – SRPD arrested Michael Calderon, 22 years after he stabbed a person during a fight at the 7-Eleven Store on Medway Road. The fight started after Calderon and the victim bumped into each other while entering the store.<br /><b>03/30/15</b> – Records and Comm. Specialist Lori Coen retired from SRPD after serving for over 30 years.<br /><b><u>April:</u></b><br /><b>04/03/15</b> – SRPD investigated a case of a person working in the Canal District who was offering fortune telling services. One victim had a ring and $200 stolen from her when the suspect told her she was going to have bad luck and the victim needed to give the suspect some of her property.<br /><b>04/03/15</b> – In a rare arrest, SRPD booked Filiberto Yah-Yah, 21 years for riding a bicycle while under the influence. He was pulled over after he was observed going through a stop sign.<br /><b>04/03/15</b> – SRPD Special Operations Unit arrested Bryan Parrish, 26 years after they set up a sting at Walgreens on Third Street. They left an expensive bike in front of the store and Parrish took it.<br /><b>04/04/15</b> – SRPD arrested Dwayne Furgeson, 31 years, from San Leandro, for pimping a teenage girl in town. He was pulled over at 1:00 AM after he was observed in a vehicle with the young girl.<br /><b>04/08/15</b> – Christopher Wootton, the “Cotton Ball Bandit” went on trial for committing a series of bank robberies in Marin County. On 12/11/13, Wootton was captured after he robbed a bank in Novato and he was chased to the Northgate Mall. He was shot by a Marin Sheriff’s Deputy when Woottom displayed a gun.<br /><b>04/09/15</b> – SRPD arrested three suspects who had been prowling at a residence on Skyview Terrace. The suspects fled prior to police arrival; however they were stopped on Highway 101.<br /><b>04/20/15</b> – In March SRPD conducted an investigation involving Yiu Leung who was a suspect in the molestation of a developmentally disabled person at a Terra Linda facility. On 4-20-15, Leung drove his car over a cliff in San Luis Obispo County. He did not survive his injuries.<br /><b>04/24/15</b> – SRPD arrested a male and two females after they stabbed a female in the head multiple times by the Pickleweed Community Center.<br /><b>04/26/15</b> – Boyd Park, which had been closed since the first of the year, reopened to a large crowd of citizens who came to celebrate the newly renovated park.<br /><b>04/30/15</b> – “Cotton Ball Bandit” Chris Wootten was convicted by a Marin County Jury on all counts. He could face life in prison.<br /><b><u></u></b><br /><b><u></u></b><br /><b><u></u></b><br /><b><u>May:</u></b><br /><b>05/02/15</b> – Glenda Bernardini was held to answer in Marin Court as a result of her plunging a 12 inch knife into her boyfriend’s head in November of 2014 after a domestic dispute.<br /><b>05/05/15</b> – SRPD conducted a DUI Checkpoint on Lincoln Avenue that resulted in three DUI arrests, 12 people cited for driving with no license and three for driving with a suspended license.<br /><b>05/08/15</b> – SRPD began an investigation of reports of a man who was sexually assaulting women while they were walking on the trail behind the Target Store pushing babies in strollers.<br /><b>05/28/15</b> – SRPD arrested Malfredo Hernandez, 19 years, when officers responded to the west side of the pedestrian walkway over Highway 101. A witness reported a man dragging a woman in the area. While checking the area, officers found the suspect in the act of sexually assaulting the woman.<br /><b><u>June:</u></b><br /><b>05/24/15</b> – SRPD arrested Calvin Burns, 30 years for human trafficking after an investigation revealed that he forced two teenage girls into prostitution.<br /><b>05/26/15</b> – Danny Ray Bester, 52 years was sentenced to 15 years in prison for committing a series of robberies in the county. On 9-30-14, he robbed the Shell Station in Terra Linda.<br /><b>06/02/15</b> – San Rafael High School student Aura Machado was struck and killed by a van while jogging on Point San Pedro Road.<br /><b>06/02/15</b> – SRPD officers responded to a bank robbery at the Bank of Marin at 1101 Fourth Street. While looking for the suspect, they contacted a possible person at the transit center. The subject became uncooperative with officers and he was arrested. It turned out that he was not the bank robber, but he was wanted for attempted murder in the East Bay.<br /><b>06/08/15</b> – The City of San Rafael held a public meeting at the B Street Recreation Center to address the homeless problem. A large crowd attended.<br /><b>06/09/15</b> – The man who robbed the Bank of Marin on 6/2/15, was arrested by the FBI in Los Angeles. Darius Gilbert, 48, known as the “Clean Cut Bandit” was booked for a series of robberies he committed throughout the Bay Area.<br /><b>06/19/15</b> – Victor Deleon, 21, was sentenced to 22 years in prison for the March 1, 2014 shooting of a man at the Pa’s Mexican Filipino Cuisine on B Street. The shooting was reported to be gang related.<br /><b>06/24/15</b> – The single family residence built in 1884 at 1309 Fifth Avenue was torn down after the City acquired the property to build a new public safety building.<br /><b>06/26/15</b> – Christopher Wootton, the 61 year old “Cotton Ball Bandit” was sentenced to 60 years in prison for his series of bank robberies he committed throughout Marin.<br /><b><u>July:</u></b><br /><b>07/17/15</b> – Alleged gang member Cameron Weaver, 25 years, was indicted by a grand jury for the December 13, 2013 shooting of a person walking on Bahia Way. Weaver was alleged to have shot the victim in the leg during a drive by shooting.<br /><b>07/22/15</b> – The San Rafael City Council approved a 72-million-dollar plan to build a new public safety building and upgrade several fire stations.<br /><b>07/26/15</b> – The San Rafael City Council approved a plan to have officers walk foot patrol for a three-month pilot project to improve safety and security in the downtown area.<br /><b>07/27/15</b> – SRPD opened an investigation of a reported sexual assault that took place on the Dominican University campus. The victim, who was not related to the University, reported that she had been assaulted while walking on campus.<br /><b><u>August:</u></b><br /><b>08/04/15</b> – SRPD participated in the annual National Night Out program, visiting many neighborhoods in town.<br /><b>08/14/15</b> – A suspicious fire burned two acres of grass on Quail Hill in Terra Linda.<br /><b>08/21/15</b> – The City of San Rafael and the County of Marin started to explore a “one stop” campus for the homeless which would offer housing and other services.<br /><b>08/21/15</b> – SRPD officers responded to St. Raphael’s Church regarding a man who was reported to be armed who had confronted a priest in Tiburon. Officers received information that the suspect was at St. Raphael’s. The officers were able to take the man into custody peacefully.<br /><b>08/22/15</b> – After being on the run since the 2005 homicide of Ana Mejia, Francisco Carrillo-Perez was extradited from Guatemala to San Rafael. Carrillo-Perez was arrested in Guatemala in December of 2014 and he was finally returned to San Rafael. He was being held on one million dollars bail.<br /><b>08/28/15</b> – The City of San Rafael, working on plans for the new public safety facility, reported that the new building could be open by the summer of 2019.<br /><b><u>September:</u></b><br /><b>09/02/15</b> – Paris Ragland, 30 years, out of San Mateo, was arrested for robbing a couple in the Gerstle Park area of San Rafael. About a week later he robbed and beat a woman on Merrydale Road, fracturing her skull. Ragland was tracked down when he attempted to use credit cards belonging to the first victims.<br /><b>09/16/15</b> – SRPD participated in the annual Tip-A-Cop program at Applebee’s in Terra Linda.<br /><b>09/19/15</b> – Officers responded to the Safeway parking lot on B Street after receiving a report of a gunshot in the area. Upon arrival they found a 32-year-old male limping in the parking lot with a gunshot wound to his leg. The victim was uncooperative with police.<br /><b>09/22/15</b> – A citizen on Larkspur Street in the Canal District reported that he was robbed at gun point by a lone male. A short time later a female reported that a man propositioned her for sex. When she refused, she ran to her apartment and the suspect tried to force himself in but was not successful. Officers located Aikeen Roberts, 28 years a short distance away. He was booked for the crimes and he also had a lengthy criminal record for auto theft and burglary.<br /><b>09/28/15</b> – Officers responded to a report of a possible robbery at a hotel in the Canal District. There had been a dispute between a prostitute and two men. The prostitute’s enforcer showed up with a sawed off shotgun and threatened the men. Police booked Cameron Magiera, 24 for robbery, prostitution and conspiracy.<br /><b>09/30/15</b> – An 83-year-old woman received a phone call from a man who claimed to be her grandson. He stated that he was in trouble and he needed $50,000 for bail money. The woman wired the money and it was later determined that the call was a scam. The money was not recovered.<br /><b><u>October:</u></b><br /><b>10/01/15</b> – SRPD officers with the Major Crimes Task Force, raided a home at 45 Manderly Road on a tip that the occupants were growing marijuana. There was also a report of child abuse at the house. Authorities found 18 mature marijuana plants and 13 pounds of marijuana. A package of 26 pounds of marijuana was also found as well as another package of 13 pounds. The D.A. was reviewing the case.<br /><b>10/06/15</b> – The San Rafael City Council voted to lift their ban on the opening of new massage parlors. The council had enacted a ban in January of 2015.<br /><b>10/13/15</b> – Police arrested Israel Rachac-Marroquin, 27 after he contacted a male and female sitting on a bench in the Baypoint area. The suspect asked the female for sex and when she refused, he sexually attacked her. The male tried to stop the attack and the suspect pulled out a knife. The male called police and officers located the suspect in the area.<br /><b>10/15/15</b> – Officers responded to a report of an explosion in a condo on Bahia Circle. Upon arrival they found Alex Watson, 23 with burns on his body. Evidence was obtained that showed the suspect was running a cannabis oil drug lab. He was arrested after being treated for his injuries.<br /><b>10/19/15</b> – SRPD and Novato P.D. ran a prostitution sting in their respective cities and they cited 16 men for various offenses.<br /><b>10/27/15</b> – Michelle Maxwell, 44 received a prison sentence of 7 years for being the getaway driver of a car during several bank robberies in Marin. She and Ray Lacy, 34, were responsible for over 11 bank robberies, with some being in southern California and in Florida. One of the banks robbed was Citibank on Third Street in San Rafael on 12-20-12.<br /><b>10/19/15</b> – Two males were parking their car in the area of Francisco and Harbor Street when they were robbed at gunpoint by two suspects. After the two robbers left, the victims decided to follow them in their car. When the robbers realized that they were being followed, one of the robbers shot at the victim’s car striking it. A search was conducted; however the suspects were not located.<br /><b>10/20/15</b> – Police received a call at 2:52 AM from two women in an apartment on A Street. They reported that one of the women was awakened by a man who was in her home rubbing her shoulders. Upon arrival of officers, the suspect jumped off the balcony and fled, however he was captured a short time later. Police booked Raul Lizama, 33 into Marin County Jail for burglary and for assault with intent to commit rape.<br /><b>10/3/15</b> – City officials announced that they would continue the downtown foot patrols by officers as it had a positive impact on the downtown. They were also considering hiring an analyst to study the homeless problem in the city. They were considering spending 1.6 million dollars in one time funds to keep the current program running and to expand it.<br /><b><u>November:</u></b><br /><b>11/03/15</b> – Residents met with the city to voice their concerns about the Mahon Creek path that runs from Davidson Middle School to Second Street. Residents were concerned about human waste, needles and other drug paraphernalia in the area.<br /><b>11/16/15</b> – Roy Lacy, 34 was convicted in Marin Superior Court for robbing three banks in San Rafael and one in Novato. Lacy was responsible for robbing 13 banks with a total take of $171,623. His getaway driver, Michelle Maxwell, previously plead guilty.<br /><b>11/18/15</b> – The City Council voted to hire a homeless overseer at a salary with a range of $96,000 to $117,000.<br /><b>11/21/15</b> – Police arrested Pierre Saucer, 32 when he pulled out an unloaded gun and pointed it at a homeless man on B Street and pulled the trigger three times.<br /><b><u>December:</u></b><br /><b>12/04/15</b> – Police warned the public about a scam where residents would receive a text message to pay $5,000 or they would be killed.<br /><b>12/17/15</b> – Police heard gun shots in the area of the Safeway Store and upon investigating they located Pierre Saucer, 32, who had a firearm and who fired it several times. He was arrested for assault with a firearm. He was out on bail from a previous firearms violation.<br /><b>12/16/15</b> – Marin Sheriff’s Deputies tried to contact a man standing in the street at the Hub in San Anselmo. The man jumped into his car and a vehicle pursuit started. The subject drove up B Street the wrong way and then foot bailed and ran into the offices of the soup kitchen. Malfred Spencer, 54, was located and booked at Marin County Jail.<br /><b>12/17/15</b> – Dispatcher Nick Pata retired from the Police Department after 26 years of service.<br /><b>12/23/15</b> – East Bay Law Enforcement agencies worked together to form a task force to investigate a group known as the “Ghost Town Gang.” A Grand Jury indicted 21 suspects on 72 counts with a good number of the crimes being auto theft. This group was active in San Rafael over the past several months.<br /><b>12/23/15</b> – The San Rafael Police Department announced that they would be starting the Citizen’s Police Academy again after an absence of several years. Classes will start in March of 2016.<br /><b>Homicides:</b><br />San Rafael recorded no homicides for the year 2015. The last reported homicide in the city was on 9-9-2011 when Alicia Griffiths was killed in her Canal District apartment. Robert Lee Bradley, 51 was booked for her murder and received a sentence of 9 years in prison. This is one of the longest stretches of no homicides in the history of the city.<br /><br /><b>In Memoriam</b><br /><br /><b>02/20/15</b> – Long time Novato Police Officer Steven Cogan (ret) died at the age of 57.<br /><b>03/03/15</b> – San Rafael Police Chief Frank Benaderet passed away at the age of 77. He served from 1976 to 1981. He was San Rafael’s 9<sup>th</sup> Police Chief.<br /><b>05/10/15</b> – Giodano Alberigi, who worked at the Sausalito Police Department as a Sergeant, the San Anselmo Police Depart and the Marin Sheriff’s Department died at the age of 81.<br /><b>05/26/15</b> – Retired Marin County Sheriff’s Lt. Barry Heying passed away. He spent 31 years with the Sheriff’s Department. He spent 4 ½ years as the Director of Public Safety for the City of Ross while on loan from the Sheriff’s Department.<br /><b>07/09/15</b> – Long time Marin CHP Sgt. James Dukes (34S1), passed away at the age of 92.<br /><b>09/03/15</b> – Marion Grady, who served as San Rafael’s City Clerk from 1969 to 1977 and who overall worked for the City of San Rafael from 1949 to 1977, died at the age of 95.<br /><br />End of Report<br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small; line-height: 23.14px;">Copyright 2016 Harry Barbier – All Rights Reserved</span>Gene Penningtonhttps://plus.google.com/101641436202990214526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57639014083502389.post-20625551799148887082015-12-22T11:38:00.005-08:002015-12-22T11:38:56.135-08:00History Watch: “Short Walk on a Long Pier”<b><u><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">History Watch</span></u></b><br /><b><u><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;"><br /></span></u></b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">“<u>Short Walk on a Long Pier</u>”</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">The key to any successful prison escape is to have a solid two part plan.&nbsp; Plan A is to figure out a way to get out of the penal institution you are in and Plan B is to figure out a way to avoid getting captured once you are out.&nbsp; Most convicts do a pretty good job with Plan A.&nbsp; They have used cars, boats, dug tunnels, dressed up as other people, and forged release papers to get out from behind bars.&nbsp; </span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">But as good as Plan A might be, complete success cannot be achieved unless you have a well designed Plan B.&nbsp; Unfortunately most escapees have been lacking in this regard, which usually results in being unceremoniously returned to your cell.&nbsp; This theory became a learning moment for San Quentin convicts Billy Jo Wright, 26 years and William Werner, 24 years.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">Both of these young men were serving time in San Quentin when they decided to put Plan A into operation.&nbsp; While at San Quentin, both inmates displayed good behavior and eventually they were assigned to a work detail outside of the prison walls as trustees.&nbsp; On April 21, 1959, both men were assigned to a work outside of the prison.&nbsp; On this day Wright and Werner decided it was time to be paroled.&nbsp; They managed to arm themselves with knives and when the moment was right, they both ran from their group and headed down Main Street to the nearby Marin Rod and Gun Club Pier.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">With Plan A accomplished, both men started to put Plan B into action.&nbsp; Their plan was to run to the Pier, steal a speed boat and race across San Pablo Bay to freedom at the other end of the Richmond Bridge.&nbsp; As the men neared the pier, they suddenly realized that their escape plan was a little flawed as there were no boats at the pier. In fact there are usually never any boats there, which left only some cars and a few people fishing.&nbsp; </span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">Both men were already on the pier when they came to this realization and with San Quentin guards in hot pursuit they ran out of options as they became trapped on the pier.&nbsp; With freedom just out of their reach, they decided to run down the pier where they encountered Mrs. Louise Gschwend and her fishing buddy Douglas Harrison, who were about to have a very bad fishing day.&nbsp; The convicts took Gschwend and Harrison hostage and held knives to their throats.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">By this time San Quentin guards had arrived on the scene along with the Marin County Sheriff’s Department, the San Rafael Police Department and the United States Coast Guard.&nbsp; A hostage standoff began with Wright and Werner demanding to be given a pass to freedom.&nbsp; When they got a blunt no to this request, they then demanded to be able to speak with the press so they could express their frustration over the horrible parole policy used by the prison.&nbsp; They also demanded that they not be prosecuted for escaping.&nbsp; </span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">The first request was granted and they were allowed to talk to a news crew from a distance.&nbsp; Regarding the second request, law enforcement authorities conferred with Marin County District Attorney William O. Weissich, who wisely agreed not to prosecute, probably figuring that there was no punishment he could give to the two convicts that would be greater than what the prison had in store for them once they were back in custody.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">Negotiations were slow and the men continued to hold the hostages on the cold and windy pier.&nbsp; During this time Mrs. Gschwend fainted from the stress and hostage Harrison became an intermediary between the convicts and officers, passing information back and forth.&nbsp; Finally after six long hours, both convicts gave up and they were taken into custody by San Quentin officials.&nbsp; As in many cases before, this incident once again proved that without a good Plan B, you might as well not even try Plan A.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">Attached are two photos.&nbsp; The first photo is of hostages Louise Gschwend and Douglas Harrison, taken after their rescue.&nbsp; Gschwend is holding a prayer book that she used to comfort her during the ordeal.&nbsp; The second photo is of convicts Billy Jo Wright and William Werner being escorted off the Marin Rod and Gun Club Pier by two very angry San Quentin guards.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">Copyright 2015 Harry Barbier – All Rights Reserved</span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V2gr0i-g4YI/VnmmbQYa_HI/AAAAAAABrGs/s3XQzmgu5LQ/s1600/S.Q.%2BEscapees%2B%2B-%2B4-27-59.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="526" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V2gr0i-g4YI/VnmmbQYa_HI/AAAAAAABrGs/s3XQzmgu5LQ/s640/S.Q.%2BEscapees%2B%2B-%2B4-27-59.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d7QJKqdDKL8/Vnmmbn8W_-I/AAAAAAABrGo/ACzT7nfZWsk/s1600/S.Q.%2BEscapees%2B%2B-%2B4-21-59.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d7QJKqdDKL8/Vnmmbn8W_-I/AAAAAAABrGo/ACzT7nfZWsk/s640/S.Q.%2BEscapees%2B%2B-%2B4-21-59.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Gene Penningtonhttps://plus.google.com/101641436202990214526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57639014083502389.post-88898060034317426462015-11-10T09:39:00.001-08:002015-11-10T09:39:21.922-08:00History Watch: “The Red Light District”<p><b><u><font size="3" face="Tahoma">History Watch</font></u></b></p> <p><u><font size="3" face="Tahoma">&quot;The Red Light District&quot;</font></u></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Police communications today have never been better.&#160; The average police officer has a portable radio, a cell phone and in some cases a body worn camera.&#160; Police cars have radios, GPS, license plate readers and computers that send you to calls and tell you how to get there. No more pulling out a map to see where that elusive street was.&#160; </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">But back in the day it was a very different story.&#160; In the early years of the San Rafael Police Department, officers did not have radios and they only had two ways to communicate with the department.&#160; Officers would stop by the department while on patrol to see if they were needed anywhere or if they could find a telephone, they could dial the department to see what calls were pending.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">As the town grew and calls increased, the department decided it was time to upgrade their communications system.&#160; In 1939 the City Council approved funds to install three red lights downtown that could be turned on to summon officers to call the station.&#160; The lights were hung above the intersections of Fourth and Lincoln, Fourth and B Street and Fourth and E Street.&#160; In addition, several call boxes were installed so officers had access to phones, especially at night when it was difficult to find one.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">The police department at that time was located in the basement of City Hall at A Street and Julia Street.&#160; When a call came in, the station officer flipped a switch to activate the lights and when an officer saw this, they either went to the station or called in to see where they were needed.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">The lights worked well but they had a short life as radios were finally installed in patrol cars in June of 1941. Surprisingly, the San Anselmo Police Department was the first police organization to get radios and they contracted with the Berkeley Police Department to dispatch to their cars.&#160; Six months later World War II began and it became very difficult to purchase additional radios as the military had a higher priority.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">In July of 1966, everyone moved into the new San Rafael City Hall located at Fifth and D Street.&#160; The police department occupied the basement (some things never change) of this building.&#160; The lights continued to hang over the three intersections all these years and the switch for the lights was moved to the new dispatch center, possibly with the thought that they could be used as a backup system in the event the radios failed.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">The lights were never used again for official police business, but that doesn't mean they were never used. Graveyard dispatcher James Wright activated them in the early morning hours to remind patrol officers to pick up his morning newspaper and deliver it to him.&#160; And on quiet nights, some mischievous cadets would turn on the lights to see how long it would take a patrol officer to radio in reporting that the lights had been activated.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">As time went on the switch for the lights was deactivated and removed during a remodel of the dispatch center, but the lights continued to faithfully hang over their respective intersections.&#160; In the late 1970’s the light at Fourth and Lincoln disappeared, but surprisingly, the remaining two continued to stay at Fourth and B Street and Fourth and E Street.&#160; In August of 2013, PG&amp;E did an upgrade to the intersection at Fourth and E Street and they took the light down without telling anyone, probably because they did not know what it was for. When this was discovered, retired members of the police department attempted to locate the light with the help of PG&amp;E.&#160; It was reported that the light had been taken to a warehouse in Stockton, but alias, the trail went cold and the light was never recovered.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">The one remaining light continued to stay at Fourth and B Street, now mounted on top of a street light.&#160; In order to save a piece of police history, Captain Jeff Franzini, in one of his last acts before retiring in 2014, asked the Department of Public Works to remove the last light and bring it to the police department.&#160; The light is now safely in the hands of retired officers who work to preserve department history.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Attached are two photos.&#160; The first photo shows the recovered light next to a portable radio that is currently used by the police department.&#160; This photo shows a span of 76 years of police communication.&#160; And finally, attached is a photo of that graveyard dispatcher Jim Wright who was able to read his morning newspaper thanks to those lights. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Copyright 2015 Harry Barbier – All Rights Reserved</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FJDiZKJicH0/VkIrvs7K0ZI/AAAAAAABoXk/6IJiAutEuY0/s1600-h/Police%252520Call%252520Light%252520%252526%252520Radio%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="Police Call Light &amp; Radio" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Police Call Light &amp; Radio" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_n0Ab31kIpw/VkIrwXx3JhI/AAAAAAABoXo/hJYkcOe28q4/Police%252520Call%252520Light%252520%252526%252520Radio_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="663" height="459" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-REctuNzdND0/VkIrxIP90iI/AAAAAAABoXw/K3LLCN6QHRo/s1600-h/Dispatcher%252520James%252520Wright%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="Dispatcher James Wright" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Dispatcher James Wright" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gDr-nD-4scg/VkIryIgTfII/AAAAAAABoX0/CZ9nTojRj8s/Dispatcher%252520James%252520Wright_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="672" height="574" /></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">&#160;</font></p> Gene Penningtonhttps://plus.google.com/101641436202990214526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57639014083502389.post-12941061283151676272015-09-15T22:28:00.001-07:002015-09-15T22:28:40.131-07:00History Watch: “I Shot the Sheriff”<p><b><u><font face="Tahoma">History Watch:</font></u></b></p> <p><u><font face="Tahoma">“I Shot the Sheriff”</font></u></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">In the United States, a police officer dies in the line of duty about every 2.5 days.&#160; Of those, a little less than half are homicide victims.&#160; The San Rafael Police Department has been very lucky, having only lost one officer to an on duty homicide in the history of the department.&#160; </font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">In order to examine this story we have to travel back in time 120 years to a fall evening on Sunday, October 12, 1884.&#160; In those days, San Rafael had Night Watchmen and Constables who patrolled the Township enforcing the laws.&#160; One such man was Denis Haley who had been working in the position of Night Watchman for several years.&#160; He lived in San Rafael with his wife and four children.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Haley was described as a quiet and pleasant man who had good manners with the citizens of San Rafael.&#160; He was reported to be well liked and admired by everyone.&#160; Well, almost everyone.&#160; There was one citizen named John O’Toole, who not only did not like Haley but who had been involved in several heated disputes with him over a various number of subjects.&#160; O’Toole, who was unemployed and described as a quiet man, also lived in San Rafael with his mother. Most people knew about the ongoing feud, but it was dismissed as only a personal grudge and nothing more.&#160; But a lot more was to come of it.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">On the night in question, Night Watchman Haley was walking foot patrol on Fourth Street with Officer Fitzroy and two other men named Michael Daley and O. McDougall.&#160; As they proceeded along Fourth Street, John O’Toole happened to be walking on the street and he stopped to talk with Haley.&#160; Witnesses reported that the conversation started over politics and it got heated and it went physical as the two men got into a scuffle.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">At some point during the altercation, O’Toole pulled a pistol from his waistband and he fired one shot at Haley, striking him in the abdomen.&#160; O’Toole was immediately taken into custody and Haley was taken to his San Rafael home where he was put to bed and treated by a local physician.&#160; District Attorney Wilkins was summoned to the Haley home and he took a dying declaration from him as the wound was serious. Haley lingered for several days finally passing away on Wednesday, October 15, 1884.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">A Coroner’s Inquest was held shortly after the death and the result of the inquest was that Night Watchman Denis Haley died of a single gunshot wound to his abdomen at the hands of John O’Toole.&#160; Several days after the death, a rumor spread that certain members of the community were going to get their hands on O’Toole and lynch him, however cooler heads prevailed and O’Toole remained in custody at the Courthouse at Fourth and A Street. Legal proceedings began and an initial court appearance was made by DA Wilkins representing the People and Defense Attorney T. J. Crowley who appeared for the Defense.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">A trial was held in the latter part of 1885 and O’Toole pleaded self defense based on the long term ongoing dispute the two men had.&#160; However O’Toole’s theory was badly damaged when witnesses testified that O’Toole fired the one and only fatal shot at Haley from a distance of six to ten feet.&#160; On February 5, 1886 the jury, which apparently bought some part of the self defense theory, found O’Toole guilty of manslaughter.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">The Marin Journal, on Thursday, February 5, 1886 made the following editorial comment regarding this case.&#160; “Deeds of lawlessness and violence are almost certain to be followed by legal penalty.&#160; We are inclined to emphasize this fact for the better it is understood the less liable we are to the commission of lawless acts.&#160; Another lesson should be laid to heart, the folly of carrying firearms.&#160; Of course foolish men will never learn it; but it must be preached and the press must urge it and repeat it.&#160; How awfully impressive is the warning from this case in point.”</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Thus, Night Watchman Denis Haley became the first and only San Rafael Law Enforcement Officer slain in the line of duty.&#160; But our story does not end here.&#160; One of Haley’s four children was Daniel J. Haley, who grew up in San Rafael working as a butcher at the Anderson Market at Third and B Street.&#160; Daniel Haley, who died in 1941, had a son named Harold J. Haley, who became an Assistant District Attorney for the County of Marin and later in his career he became a Superior Court Judge.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">On August 7, 1970, Judge Harold Haley was presiding in his courtroom at the Marin County Civic Center over a murder trail committed by several San Quentin convicts.&#160; Seventeen year old Jonathan Jackson smuggled several guns into the courtroom and everyone was taken hostage.&#160; Judge Haley had a shotgun tied around his neck and he and other hostages were escorted to a waiting van.&#160; A shootout began and Judge Haley, 65, was slain. In what could only be described as an incredible coincidence, two members of the Haley family, both of whom were in law enforcement over three generations, were killed in the line of duty.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">There are no known photographs of Night Watchman Denis Haley.&#160; Attached is a photo of his grandson, Judge Harold J. Haley, shotgun around his neck, as he is being led out of the Civic Center by San Quentin Convict J. D. McClain, just minutes prior to his death.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Copyright 2015 Harry Barbier – All Rights Reserved</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ykhODMTEsFg/Vfj-AyxbE0I/AAAAAAABoFY/cp9-PXqoSxI/s1600-h/Civic%252520Center%252520Shootout-1970-1%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Civic Center Shootout-1970-1" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="Civic Center Shootout-1970-1" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8_J2riSQkIM/Vfj-BmcAMrI/AAAAAAABoFg/63JtstaSwVA/Civic%252520Center%252520Shootout-1970-1_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="439" height="537" /></a></p> Gene Penningtonhttps://plus.google.com/101641436202990214526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57639014083502389.post-69286956383582115832015-06-02T14:17:00.001-07:002015-06-02T14:17:38.206-07:00History Watch: “Catch Me if You Can”<p><b><u><font size="3" face="Tahoma">History Watch:</font></u></b></p> <p><u><font size="3" face="Tahoma">“Catch Me if You Can”</font></u></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">In the early 1960’s it was all about fast cars.&#160; Cruising on Fourth Street was very popular and kids and some adults enjoyed showing off their souped up cars on weekend nights.&#160; Everyone seemed to have fast cars, except the San Rafael Police Department.&#160; At the time the Department was driving Fords with 225 horsepower engines but many of the cars were old with high mileage and the Police Department soon got the reputation that their cars could not catch much of anything. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">The turning point came in early 1963 when Officer Ray Bleasdale was on patrol in the Terra Linda area on Day Shift.&#160; An armed robbery call came in with a suspect vehicle description and Bleasdale spotted the car getting onto Highway 101 southbound from the Freitas Parkway onramp.&#160; Bleasdale pursued the car up Puerto Suello Hill, but with the pedal to the metal, the old Ford hardly made it to the top of the hill, much less catch the fleeing felons.&#160; At about the same time, local kids were learning that they had faster cars than the police and on many an occasion, they outran pursuing patrol cars.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">In late 1963, Chief Charles Chiesa went to the City Council and asked that the council purchase two new Dodge patrol cars that met the CHP specifications.&#160; These cars had well over 300 horsepower and were rated to travel at a top speed of 130 mph.&#160; After much discussion the council rejected Chiesa’s request on a 3 to 2 vote, citing the additional cost of each car.&#160; The old Fords were destined to stay in the fleet for a while.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">But sometimes with defeat, opportunity knocks on the door and that is exactly what happened.&#160; In early 1964, Officer Michael Fisher, who had been on the force for six months, drove one of those Fords into a ditch on Woodland Avenue by Auburn Street.&#160; The car was totaled and Chiesa immediately asked the City Council to buy a Dodge patrol car off the CHP bid to replace the wrecked one and they approved the request. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">In the early summer of 1964 the first CHP Dodge was delivered to the San Rafael Police Department and it was promptly assigned as car #7.&#160; It was also the department’s first black and white police car. The Department now had its new weapon to chase down people who had been out running them for several years.&#160; And as fate would have it, that new car was about to be put to the test.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">In the late summer of 1964, Officer Philip Green and Reserve Officer Lindy Roson were patrolling in car #7 when they observed a car with three juveniles in it speeding on Fourth Street.&#160; Green pulled the car over at Fourth and Tamalpais Avenue, but as Green exited his car, the kids, who had been drinking, took off going east on Fourth Street and then north onto Highway 101.&#160; Green jumped back in his car and the chase was on.&#160; The pursuit went on for 30 miles with Green hitting speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour with the kids running other drivers off the road along the way. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Green later commented that because Roson was handling the radio, he was able to light up a cigarette and smoke it during the chase.&#160; With the help of several other police agencies, officers were able to box the suspect car in at Cotati and they got the car to stop.&#160; All three kids were booked into juvenile hall on 17 different charges, including Assault with a Deadly Weapon.&#160; Green’s first radio transmission to dispatch after the chase ended was, “Let the Sergeant know I didn’t damage the car.”</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Patrol car #7 stayed up with the fleeing car with no problem and it went on to serve the Police Department very well using its powerful engine to stop violators.&#160; A short time later the City Council authorized the purchase of four more Dodge patrol cars. Sadly, on February 5<sup>th</sup> 1965 car #7, driven by Officer John Riordan, was totaled in a crash on rain slicked Highway 101 at Terra Linda while he was responding to a burglar alarm call at the Terra Linda Shopping Center.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Dodge patrol cars went on to become the main vehicle used in law enforcement for many years.&#160; Many an officer can still recall hearing the roar of those engines after they called for backup.&#160; They knew by that sound that it would not be long until help arrived.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Attached are two photos.&#160; The first one is of the Ford that Officer Michael Fisher crashed that opened the door to the purchase of Dodge patrol cars.&#160; The second photo is of patrol car #5, a sister car to #7 with San Rafael Police Chief Charles J. Chiesa standing by it.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Copyright 2015 Harry Barbier –All Rights Reserved</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5w9IJEYdkeM/VW4dUfGpfjI/AAAAAAAA9AQ/s5QgBMx-jA0/s1600-h/Ofc.%252520Mike%252520Fisher%252520Accident-1964%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="Ofc. Mike Fisher Accident-1964" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Ofc. Mike Fisher Accident-1964" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lMDRoLemD6o/VW4dWo-5WPI/AAAAAAAA9AY/ZZvJCsfes8A/Ofc.%252520Mike%252520Fisher%252520Accident-1964_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="655" height="693" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-D1ahQOmTHlw/VW4dZYYx6LI/AAAAAAAA9Ag/JtNqNNE8XU8/s1600-h/Chief%252520Chiesa%252520with%252520Car%252520%2525235%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="Chief Chiesa with Car #5" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Chief Chiesa with Car #5" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-H7D1Tbd6oUg/VW4dcfK03lI/AAAAAAAA9Ao/ftuAxDV9xs4/Chief%252520Chiesa%252520with%252520Car%252520%2525235_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="656" height="541" /></a></p> Gene Penningtonhttps://plus.google.com/101641436202990214526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57639014083502389.post-74023610632323543662015-04-09T17:02:00.001-07:002015-04-09T17:02:40.755-07:00History Watch: “Mechanical Cops”<p><b><u><font size="3" face="Tahoma"></font></u></b></p> <p><b><u><font size="3" face="Tahoma">History Watch:</font></u></b></p> <p><u><font size="3" face="Tahoma">&quot;Mechanical Cops&quot;</font></u></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">In the late 1940’s San Rafael was a growing town with a lot of businesses and an ever increasing traffic problem.&#160; Traffic jams in the downtown area became a common occurrence and in early 1950, San Rafael Police Chief Frank Kelly decided to do something about it. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">At that time there were no traffic signal lights in San Rafael and it was felt that lights could do something to help with the heavy traffic.&#160; A fund was started by the City to save money so traffic signal lights could be installed in certain heavy use intersections, however saving the money was a slow process and it was finally decided that a temporary measure should be put into place.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">In early 1951 the age of the mechanical cops began.&#160; These were electronically operated portable traffic lights that could be placed at intersections during times of the day when traffic was heavy.&#160; In the early mornings and afternoons, when traffic was at its highest peak, the lights were towed to certain intersections for use and they worked well in controlling congestion. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">The first intersection where the portable traffic lights were placed was at Third and Irwin Street, which ironically was the same intersection where red light cameras were first installed some 60 years later. The lights were also placed at Second and Lindaro Street as that was a busy intersection. Finally after enough money was raised, the first permanent traffic signal light was installed at the intersection of Third and Irwin Street.&#160; Many more were to follow over the following years.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Attached is a photo of San Rafael Police Traffic Officer Art Fellows on his three wheel motorcycle towing those mechanical cops in 1951.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Copyright 2015 Harry Barbier –All Rights Reserved</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-bdXZGogJYNM/VScSPRMNsTI/AAAAAAAA8h8/yRF4tp5Qjes/s1600-h/Ofc.%252520Art%252520Fellows%252520-%252520Portable%252520Traffic%252520Lights%252520-%2525201951%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="Ofc. Art Fellows - Portable Traffic Lights - 1951" style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" alt="Ofc. Art Fellows - Portable Traffic Lights - 1951" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-UDd7GOGgCrc/VScTHyygDII/AAAAAAAA8iE/UbuEglhbieE/Ofc.%252520Art%252520Fellows%252520-%252520Portable%252520Traffic%252520Lights%252520-%2525201951_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="694" height="572" /></a></p> Gene Penningtonhttps://plus.google.com/101641436202990214526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57639014083502389.post-19386230359559466622015-03-15T18:21:00.001-07:002015-03-15T18:28:36.207-07:00Chief Frank Benaderet Died March 3, 2015<p>&#160;</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-3eoUs7GSWtE/VQYwIYT-3TI/AAAAAAAA8U0/Xj2Y3riXzvI/s1600-h/Frank%252520Benaderet%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="Frank Benaderet" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="Frank Benaderet" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-_DzICPooB04/VQYwJLwgmjI/AAAAAAAA8U8/57cvvho9vKE/Frank%252520Benaderet_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="306" height="445" /></a></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Frank's obituary appears in the Marin IJ.&#160; </font><a href="http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/marinij/obituary.aspx?n=francis-richard-benaderet&amp;pid=174338088"><font face="Tahoma">Click here to read his obituary.</font></a></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Below is the Eulogy delivered by Gene Pennington, San Rafael Police Captain, Retired.&#160; Given on Saturday, March 14, 2015 at Frank’s Memorial Service held at St. Rafael’s Church, 1100 Fifth Ave., San Rafael.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">I’d like to share with you a little bit of Frank’s journey. Frank was born February 13, 1938, San Francisco and died March 3, 2015, at his San Rafael home.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Frank’s parents were Robert Jack Benaderet and Helen Agnes Anzenberger.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Frank and Helen were married September 28, 1955 and would have celebrated 60 years of marriage this year. Frank’s children are Bill Benaderet, Frank Benaderet, Jr. and Rick Benaderet. His grandchildren are Jennifer, Debra, Francis III (Buddy), Nicola and Carissa Benaderet.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Frank and Helen’s extended family lives in Sacramento. Frank, Helen and their children have shared many great times and memories with them over the years.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Frank worked as a milk man at Golden State Dairy in SF; Kaiser, SF; Palo Alto PD as a Patrolman and a Sergeant; Stanford PD as a Captain; Pinole PD as Chief of Police; San Rafael PD as Chief of Police from 1976 to 1981 (he was the ninth of sixteen Police Chiefs who have served the City of San Rafael); World Savings and Loan responsible for their security services; Wells Fargo, Fraud Investigations and Vice President of Security when he retired from Wells Fargo Bank in 2003.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Frank lived in San Francisco, Palo Alto, Pinole and San Rafael.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Community Organizations</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Palo Alto &amp; San Rafael Little League; District 3 Big League Baseball; San Rafael High School Boosters; Marin County Police Chief’s Association; International Footprinters, Local #15; Marin Evening Rotary (serving as President in 2004 &amp; 2005); and Sons In Retirement Society (SIRS).</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">For many years he represented California District 3 as our Big League Representative. He loved working with the young men who played baseball and was a great mentor and builder of character for the young athletes.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">He helped start our PAL program in 1980 and watched it grow to include several different activities such as baseball, football, boxing, self-defense classes, music and dancing. He helped by allowing some Officers to participate as part of their work schedule and supporting us in many other ways.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Education</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Frank attended Washington High School, San Francisco; AA Degree Foothill College; BA Degree San Francisco State; Master in Public Administration University of Southern California; Life Time Teaching Credential, State of California; Teacher at Golden Gate University</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Words which describe Frank that I heard while talking with his friends, family and SRPD Retirees</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Progressive; Good; Honorable; Caring; Intelligent; Teacher; Mentor; Humorous; Duty; Exceptional; Father; Friend</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Law Enforcement Career</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Frank started his law enforcement career with Palo Alto PD, he was a Patrol Officer, a Motor Officer, a Juvenile Officer and a Sergeant.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">One of the things he was very proud of was his appointment to command a special unit to handle riots on the campus of Stanford University. The unit was involved in several conflicts with protestors and agitators at Stanford and in the City of Palo Alto. During these conflicts, several of Frank’s men were severely injured by flying objects which included everything from bricks, stones, bottles and even typewriters thrown from office windows.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Frank applied for an emergency grant and obtained funds to buy his unit protective gear and portable video cameras. This was long before the high tech protective gear you see worn by police officers today. Frank worked with some local sporting goods stores and bought catcher’s masks, chest protectors, shin guards and football arm pads and hockey shoulder pads and used the helmets the Palo Alto PD had purchased a number of years earlier. While the unit didn’t look like today’s riot police, the protective gear worked and the unit was able to effectively and safely carry out their missions.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Frank was also one of the first in Law Enforcement to use video cameras to record the demonstrations and riots.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Frank established a good relationship with the students at Stanford by talking with them about their concerns and intentions. He worked with them but they knew that if it was needed, his special unit would be there to help keep the peace.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">He started a rape crisis hot line in Palo Alto and volunteered many hours of his off duty time.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Accomplishments at SRPD</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">At SRPD, he started the Youth Services Bureau, the first in Marin County. The Bureau had a Youth Services Officer and a licensed Family and Marriage Counselor assigned. In addition to providing personal contact with children in 5<sup>th</sup> through 8<sup>th</sup> grades, the Bureau worked on campus at both high schools and were frequent guest teachers at classes. The Diversion program cited juveniles to our Youth Service Counselor by arresting Officers when the situation allowed. This provided the offending juvenile with counseling services and at times their parents were brought into the counseling. This program was a much better option than the juvenile going directly to Juvenile Court. The program was a tremendous success and still functions today. Many young people often approached us, and still do, to say “Thank you for the help.”</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">He helped start the San Rafael Police Activities League and San Rafael Police Explorer Post #303 (1<sup>st</sup> such Post in Marin). Several people from this Post went on to careers with San Rafael and with other law enforcement agencies.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">He created new policies and procedures for all the specialized position (descriptions, minimum requirements, promotional testing, and rotations).</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">He helped with the creation of the San Rafael Police Commission and turned it into a very positive community group, much to the disappointment of the City Manager at that time.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">He helped start the Marin Abused Women’s Association</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">He obtained two (2) California Office of Traffic Safety Grants: Traffic education and enforcement grant and a computer system to record and analyze vehicle and pedestrian accidents and traffic citations.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">He started the San Rafael Police Boat program.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">He was the first San Rafael Chief to officially allow semi-automatic hand guns to be carried by Officers.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">He restarted the San Rafael Police Reserve Program</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">He volunteered at the Soup Kitchen on B Street.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">He introduced a new look for patrol units: White Chevy Nova with blue strip running down the side. He also introduced racing bucket seats made by Recaro for use in the patrol cars because so many officers were having back problems with the other seats. </font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Several of his Command Staff went on to become Police Chiefs in other Departments. One returned to become San Rafael Chief after Frank’s retirement. Several others who were hired by Frank worked their way up through the ranks to become sergeants, lieutenants, captains and chiefs. This is a testimony to Frank’s ability to hire the best and his skill as a mentor.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Frank’s honesty and integrity. He never backed down from his duties and responsibilities as a law enforcement officer or as Chief. Even when I presented him with a case that involved several high ranking City employees and elected officials. He never hesitated in doing the right thing.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">While I can’t reveal the details because some of the principals in the investigation are still alive, I can tell you that several of them eventually resigned their position with the City or failed to run again for their elective office.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">As a result of the investigation, Frank was the target of several personal attacks by these principals and the media but in the end, Frank walked away with his retirement and his head held high.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Stories</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">I’d like to share a couple of stories about Frank.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">From Chief Diana Bishop:</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">According to Frank and my parents, I met Frank for the first time on the way home from Stanford Hospital after being born.&#160; My aunt and uncle (Alan and Susan's parents) were best friends with the Benaderets and my parents stopped by to introduce me to my aunt and uncle.&#160; Frank was there and held me in his arms.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">I always remembered the name Benaderet and it sounded familiar to me when I re-met Frank again in December of 2011, before starting my SRPD job.&#160; He told me the story of the first time we met and it really touched my heart.&#160; I wish there was a picture taken of the moment in 1961 when two future SRPD Chiefs first met!&#160; It is a small world.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Tony Hoke:</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Shortly after Chief Benaderet came to San Rafael, I was assigned to do background investigations.&#160; During the course of the background investigations I had to meet with the Chief to advise him of what information had been learned.&#160; During one of these meetings I had formed opinions as to the qualification of one of the candidates.&#160; When the Chief asked me about him I said, &quot;Can I be frank with you.&quot;&#160; Without any hesitation the Chief said, &quot;I be Frank, you be Tony!&quot; I was taken aback and after a few seconds, we both began to laugh.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">A couple of years ago while at a BBQ at the Pennington's house I had a chance to remind Frank of that meeting.&#160; He just smiled as I told the story because he knew exactly what I was going to say.&#160; And when I finished we both had another great laugh.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Walt Kosta:</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Walt’s first meeting with Frank was a classic one. Walt was standing on his desk in Investigation’s office putting up his now famous Pinocchio doll hanging it from the ceiling on a string so he could pull it down when needed to challenge a person who Walt thought was lying. Frank looked puzzled for a second and then asked Walt, “What are you doing?” Walt explained the purpose of the apparatus and how it worked giving Frank a quick demonstration. Frank just shook his head, turned, mumbled something and walked away.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Tom Boyd:</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">I’ll be grateful forever for Frank hiring me and taking a chance. He was a “standup guy” and a mentor to me.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">From Frank, Jr.:</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Officer Don Rose pulled him and a friend over one evening and discovered they were in possession of beer. Don poured the beer out (common practice at that time) and called his father. The next morning, Frankie received a phone call from his Dad’s office informing him that he and his friend were to report to the Chief’s office promptly at 9:00 am. They both arrived and then were promptly “dressed down” by Frank for their actions the night before.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Frankie says he will never forget that “dressing down” and how much it influenced his behavior as a young adult.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Helen:</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">He loved what he did. The biggest thing for him was to help kids.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">He worked hard to save or help kids who were in trouble.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">He often received letters from kids he had helped thanking him for his concern and efforts.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Comments from SRPD Retirees</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">He was a nice guy and he lived a long and prosperous life. Rest in Peace Chief.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">I am so sorry to hear of Frank passing. He was a good guy, a good police <br />chief, and a good friend. RIP Chief.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Sorry to hear of the Chief's passing, he was a good man.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Frank will be missed. He was the ninth of sixteen Police Chiefs who have served the City of San Rafael. </font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Please give our sympathy to Helen and the family. I'm so glad we all went to lunch in November.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Frank had the guts and moral clarity to take on city managers and elected officials when he saw wrongdoing. His career suffered as a result, however, he died an honest man, with the utmost respect from those of us who served with him. </font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Frank was always one to put duty above self. And yes, he did take some hits for doing just that. He enjoys the respect and admiration of all he led during his tenure as chief. Nothing but good memories and a sense of a real void in his passing.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Thank you for your service Frank </font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Your Dad will be missed. He made tremendous contributions to the field of Law Enforcement and in particular to the San Rafael Police Department. He was an exceptional man, a great Chief and one who stood tall. He was kind, loved kids and went out of his way to help others. Most of all, he was a good friend to me and my family.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">In Closing</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">My first impression of Frank was that he was an innovative thinker and very intelligence. These impressions later proved true as we shared a journey that would span some 39 years.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Frank was very friendly and had a great sense of humor. If you ever had a meal with him at a restaurant, you were in for a show! He would tease the waiter about everything and ask many questions, especially about the menu. If the waiter had a good sense of humor and played along, Frank would ask him about items on the menu and his opinion of each. As the last person to order, Frank would decide what he wanted but no sooner did the waiter take his order that Frank would change his mind and the entire process started over! We were lucky if we got our meals in an hour!</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">He cared a great deal for his Department “family” and went out of his way to get to know all of them. He cared a great deal for the citizens of San Rafael and loved his community.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">These last couple of years have been ones have been special. Judy and I attended a Giant’s game with Frank’s family watching from a suite. He smiled the entire time and especially when his name went up on the outfield scoreboard!</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Frank loved attending social events such as the ones hosted by the Footprinters and the Rotary Club.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">I was able to get him to a couple of 49er games which he thoroughly enjoyed. Frank was a fighter and always optimistic and he would overcome many obstacles to attend any family event.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">His positive “can do” attitude was infectious. He used to call me and ask to take him to do some practice driving in the empty lot by the Veteran’s Auditorium. He would end his request with “Don’t tell Helen. She doesn’t know I can drive!”</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">He stood by his principals and insisted on fair and equal treatment of everybody when it came to law enforcement in San Rafael. He insisted the youth of our community be treated with respect and worked tirelessly to help them in any way possible.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">He would never shy away from tough decisions. For example, the 12 homicides in 2 years we worked, most of them successfully solved and the criminals arrested. He backed his officers when tough decisions needed to be made, sometimes to the disappointment of a few of his Command Staff.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Frank was an honest man who resisted evil in any form he found it.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">He was a great friend to me and my family. Always willing to help.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">He loved his family and his community.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">He will be missed.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">God’s speed and rest in peace.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Pictured below:&#160; San Rafael Police Department personnel on the steps of San Rafael City Hall.&#160; Picture taken in 1981.&#160; Chief Benaderet appears in the front alongside Mayor Larry Mulryan.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-0syCbUZHUQE/VQYwLZCm9GI/AAAAAAAA8VU/sJARXrSoOS4/s1600-h/SRPD%252520abt%2525201980%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><font face="Tahoma"><img title="SRPD - Taken about 1980 - Front steps of City Hall" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="SRPD - Taken about 1980 - Front steps of City Hall" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-AghkEA9zZBo/VQYwMMgvZAI/AAAAAAAA8Vc/5ZHSHzD8z60/SRPD%252520abt%2525201980_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="743" height="500" /></font></a></p> <p><font face="Tahoma"><font face="Tahoma"><font face="Tahoma"><font face="Tahoma"><font face="Tahoma">Pictured below, left to right:&#160; Gene Pennington, Jeff Franzini and Frank Benaderet.&#160; Picture was taken in 2014 at Jeff’s retirement ceremony at San Rafael City Hall.</font></font></font></font></font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma"><font face="Tahoma"><font face="Tahoma"><font face="Tahoma"><font size="3" face="Tahoma"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Ry7v5i59qBY/VQYwJ8V2BYI/AAAAAAAA8VE/gmw3hP3sa7A/s1600-h/Jeff%252520Franzini%252520Retirement%252520City%252520Council%252520%25252810%252529%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font face="Tahoma"><img title="Jeff Franzini Retirement City Council (10)" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Jeff Franzini Retirement City Council (10)" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-5S2e6oEbsq0/VQYwKitaL6I/AAAAAAAA8VM/mIyXHseacQE/Jeff%252520Franzini%252520Retirement%252520City%252520Council%252520%25252810%252529_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="737" height="429" /></font></a></font></font></font></font></font></p> Gene Penningtonhttps://plus.google.com/101641436202990214526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57639014083502389.post-86126686386307145152015-02-24T13:37:00.001-08:002015-02-24T13:37:24.985-08:00History Watch: “The Duchess”<p><b><u><font face="Tahoma">History Watch:</font></u></b></p> <p><u><font face="Tahoma">“The Duchess”</font></u></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">When one thinks of a leader of a criminal gang, you would most likely think of a man.&#160; But in the 1930’s there was at least one exception.&#160; This is the story of E. Leta Juanita Spinelli, otherwise known as, “The Duchess.” </font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Spinelli grew up in the state of Michigan where she got married and she settled down with her husband and her daughter.&#160; All went well until 1939 when Spinelli’s husband suffered a tragic on the job accident when he was shot and killed by members of the Detroit Police Department while he was attempting to rob a bank. </font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">After a brief mourning period, the Duchess decided to move to San Francisco with her 19 year old daughter, Lorraine “Gypsy” Spinelli and they settled into a boarding house in the city.&#160; The move turned out to be good fortune for the Duchess as she soon learned that the house had a large number of, “Dead End” kids living there.&#160; She soon started to make friends with many of them with the help of her daughter who was said to have had her way with most of them.&#160; Spinelli chose four of the young men who lived in the house that she was interested in putting to work.&#160; They were, Albert “One Eye” Ives, 23, Robert Sharrad 18, Gordon Hawkins 21 and Mike Simeone, 32.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Soon, Spinelli was cooking them dinner and driving with them on road trips. One positive attribute that Spinelli had was that she loved to sew and she began to help out the young men by sewing for them.&#160; However, she did not make them clothing or blankets.&#160; Instead she made them all blackjacks.&#160; She did this by sewing two pieces of leather together and filling it with buckshot from shotgun shells.&#160; She then instructed the young men on how to use their new found weapons.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">The Duchess schooled them on the art of robbery and murder and she soon became known as, “The mistress of crime.”&#160; For the next year Spinelli’s gang wreaked havoc throughout the San Francisco Bay Area engaging in many muggings, robberies and an occasional murder.&#160; Things started to take a turn for the worse when on 4-7-1940, Albert &quot;One Eye&quot; Ives shot and killed Leland Cash at a BBQ stand in North Beach during a botched robbery.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Apparently the murder bothered gang member Robert Sharrad to no end as he could not stop talking to everyone about the crime. The Duchess decided that something had to be done to silence him so she convened a gang meeting at a hotel in Sacramento with her three other gang members. The Duchess dismissed suggestions about stilettos and bullets but paused when someone mentioned a lethal Mickey Finn.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">The Duchess invited all four of her gang members to dinner and when Sharrad was not looking she slipped a lethal dose of poison into his drink.&#160; Spinelli later told police that she viewed it as a, “Mercy Killing” as she really liked the boy.&#160; After consuming his drink, Sharrad met his maker in short order.&#160; The Duchess had her boys take Sharrad to the Sacramento River where they stripped him of his clothing and they put a bathing suit on him and threw him into the water and left his clothes on the shore to make it look like a drowning.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">All would have gone just fine had it not been for Albert “One Eye” Ives, who got scared and he went to the police and spilled his guts to them.&#160; Officers found the Duchess in a shelter in Reno and when she was taken into custody she still had the gun in her purse that was used to kill Leland Cash at the BBQ stand in North Beach. </font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">The Duchess had a quick trial and on November 21, 1941 she was put to death in San Quentin’s gas chamber after all pleas to Governor Olsen failed.&#160; She died in 10 minutes and 14 seconds. And just for good measure gang members Gordon Hawkins, and Mike Simeone were also put to death.&#160; Albert &quot;One Eye&quot;&#160; Ives, because of his cooperation with the police was put in a home for the criminally insane. </font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">San Quentin Warden Clinton Duffy, who presided over San Quentin for many years, was quoted as describing the Duchess as, “The coldest hardest character, male or female that I have ever known.”</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">As the Duchess took her last breath in the gas chamber, she secured her place in law enforcement history by being the first female executed in San Quentin’s gas chamber. Only three other females followed her to that lethal room. They were Louise Peete, executed on 4-11-47, Barbara Graham, executed on 6-3-55 and Elizabeth Ann “Ma” Duncan, executed on&#160; 4-8-62.&#160; All of them had been convicted of murder.&#160; At San Quentin a total of 215 people were hanged and 196 were executed in the gas chamber, four of them women.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Attached is a photo of Leta Juanita “The Duchess” Spinelli taken just before her execution.&#160; Quite frankly she appears to be a little bored with the whole affair.</font></p> <p><font face="Tahoma">Copyright 2015 Harry Barbier –All Rights Reserved</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-d_cHoOQ07G8/VOzvEPHrWxI/AAAAAAAA8MM/GKiy5fkhQxY/s1600-h/Juanita%252520Spinelli%252520-%252520First%252520Woman%252520Executed%252520at%252520S.Q.%252520-%25252011-21-41%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="Juanita Spinelli - First Woman Executed at S.Q. - 11-21-41" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="Juanita Spinelli - First Woman Executed at S.Q. - 11-21-41" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-NQqXF9L5Sgc/VOzvE7nTxbI/AAAAAAAA8MU/qGJmyjZZUwo/Juanita%252520Spinelli%252520-%252520First%252520Woman%252520Executed%252520at%252520S.Q.%252520-%25252011-21-41_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="277" height="387" /></a></p> Gene Penningtonhttps://plus.google.com/101641436202990214526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57639014083502389.post-2622301328083179292015-01-21T22:23:00.001-08:002015-01-21T22:23:29.454-08:00History Watch: “Dancing With Bullets”<p><b><u><font size="3" face="Tahoma">History Watch:</font></u></b></p> <p><u><font size="3" face="Tahoma">“Dancing With Bullets”</font></u></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Summer nights in San Rafael in the 1960’s were an experience that probably will never be matched.&#160; On a warm Sunday night on June 28, 1965, it was business as usual in the downtown.&#160; People were walking Fourth Street attending the movies at the Rafael Theater, businesses were open and kids were cruising Fourth Street.&#160; Sunday night was not as bad as the weekends for cruising.&#160; On a Friday or Saturday night it could take you 45 minutes to drive from Fourth and Lincoln to Fourth and E Street because of all the kids cruising on the street.&#160; But for kids it didn't matter as it gave them plenty of time to visit with each other. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">San Rafael Police Officers were out on patrol answering calls and mostly dealing with kids by pouring out their beer.&#160; Well, most of it got poured out.&#160; The County Communications Center, located on the second floor of 519 Fourth Street was in operation as usual with two dispatchers working in a cramped hot room filled with tube radios and cigarette smoke.&#160; In fact, it was said that the smoke was so bad in that room that the radios had to be serviced often because of an oil buildup on the electronics from all the smoke.&#160;&#160; In those days everyone in the county, police, fire, sheriff, and ambulance were all on the same frequency.&#160; If you knew someone who worked there, all you had to do was park in the lot, yell up at the window and a dispatcher would come down and unlock the door and you could go upstairs and visit with them and listen to what was happening throughout the county.&#160; It gave you the opportunity to sit with some of the best dispatchers of that time, such as Bill Allen and William &quot;Sailor Bill&quot; Keaton.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">It was a typical Sunday night until a few minutes after midnight when shots rang out from the Standard Service Station (Jennifer Convertibles today) on the Southeast corner of Fourth and Lincoln Avenue.&#160; The phones lit up and units were dispatched to the location.&#160; San Rafael Police Patrolman Philip Green was the first to arrive on scene and he came upon an ugly sight.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Green observed a crowd of about 20 kids in the gas station parking lot.&#160; Standing close by and threatening the crowd was Blaine Walter, 18 years old, who was holding a British Army .303 caliber rifle.&#160; Walter was pointing the rifle at William Lambert, 18 years and at the crowd.&#160;&#160; As Green got out of his car he observed Walter fire two shots from his rifle at Lambert’s feet, telling him to start dancing. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">As Green approached, he watched as Walter fired three more shots, one of which went through a plate glass window to the gas station.&#160; The second shot hit an oil can and the third embedded into a wall.&#160; Green had no time to yell a warning as Walter had the rifle to his shoulder and he was aiming it at the crowd.&#160; Green drew his .38 caliber service revolver and he brought Walter down with one shot.&#160; Officers working that night heard Green get on the radio and tell dispatch, “San Rafael, I just shot someone.”</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Additional units arrived and Walter was taken to San Rafael General Hospital (Mission and Nye St.) where he underwent surgery for a non-life threatening gunshot wound to the buttocks.&#160; Upon examining the rifle, officers observed that it still had two live rounds in it with one in the chamber.&#160; Walter was charged with attempted murder.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Officers investigated the incident to try to determine why it happened.&#160; They learned that earlier in the evening Walter and a friend were hanging out at the gas station and Walter got into a fist fight with the victim, William Lambert.&#160; Walter apparently lost the fight and he and a friend went to Walter’s residence, where he got the rifle and he returned to the gas station where he confronted the victim.&#160; Both Walter and his friend were recent parolees from the California Youth Authority, Walter having served time for burglary.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Officer Phil Green was himself shot by a drug suspect in 1972 and although he nearly died from his wounds, he recovered and rose to the rank of Lieutenant with the San Rafael Police Department.&#160; In 1977 he was hired as Chief of Police for the Corte Madera Police Department and in 1980 he was appointed Police Chief of the Twin Cities Police Department when the cities of Larkspur and Corte Madera merged.&#160; Green retired in 2010 with 49 years of police service.&#160; At the time of his retirement he held the distinction of being the longest tenured Police Chief in the State of California.&#160; Sadly, Green passed away in his sleep in 2013.&#160; He had a long and wonderful police career and he was a great asset to the communities he served.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Attached are two photos.&#160; The first one is of the 519 Fourth Street building as it looks today.&#160; Note that the upstairs windows (far right)&#160; have been boarded up.&#160; The upstairs room that once was the hub of law enforcement communications in Marin County has sat locked and vacant since the early 1970's when the communications center was moved to the newly built Civic Center.&#160; There is no doubt that spirits of past dispatchers still occupy that room.&#160; The building is now owned by the City of San Rafael.&#160; The second photo was taken of Phil Green in 1963, two years before his shooting.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Copyright 2015 Harry Barbier –All Rights Reserved</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-aMasmOeWX-w/VMCXV1plapI/AAAAAAAA71A/11lFP-eXs4U/s1600-h/Fourth%252520St.%252520%252523519%252520%2525281%252529%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="Fourth St. #519 (1)" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="Fourth St. #519 (1)" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-X5cYQUcr4Dg/VMCXWhjlVII/AAAAAAAA71I/3ZMpNHVbFds/Fourth%252520St.%252520%252523519%252520%2525281%252529_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="578" height="396" /></a></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma"></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Tahoma"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-K3PP6dSEZIQ/VMCXXYOkTLI/AAAAAAAA71M/WPb2kqkgv5s/s1600-h/Officer%252520Phillip%252520Green-9-30-63%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="Officer Phillip Green-9-30-63" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="Officer Phillip Green-9-30-63" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-lwEsD5oQQMQ/VMCXYN1ZuoI/AAAAAAAA71Y/s5R8r1kzNGs/Officer%252520Phillip%252520Green-9-30-63_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="368" height="487" /></a></font></p> Gene Penningtonhttps://plus.google.com/101641436202990214526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57639014083502389.post-78981899804254126712015-01-04T16:23:00.001-08:002015-01-21T22:31:22.951-08:00History Watch: How High’s the Water Mama?<b><u><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">History Watch:</span></u></b><br /><u><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">How High’s the Water Mama?</span></u><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">The last month of 2014 brought us a lot of rain to end what was thought to be a serious drought.&nbsp; There have been other years in San Rafael where the city has experienced a good deal of rain.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">One such year was 1945 which produced flooding around the City.&nbsp; One area affected by the flooding that year was the office of the California Highway Patrol.&nbsp; In those days, the CHP office shared a building with the Department of Motor Vehicles and it was located on West Francisco Blvd. in San Rafael in the area where the Mercedes dealership is today.&nbsp; Being right along the highway, it was easy to find and easy to get to.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">However when it rained heavily, it became the building that you could not get to from here because it would very often be flooded.&nbsp; On one such afternoon of heavy rain the building became quite difficult to get to as it was completely surrounded by water.&nbsp; However this was not going to stop two CHP Officers who were determined to get in and out of their building despite the rain and flooding.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">Attached is a photo of CHP Officer Ivan Carbine (left) and Sgt. Vern Dwelly (right) making their way in and out of the CHP office.&nbsp; Today the CHP has a fine new office in Corte Madera…...and everyone knows where DMV is, they just don't want to go there.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">Copyright 2014 Harry Barbier –All Rights Reserved</span><br /><br /><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Xg0xcksP25k/VKnZaTc8UiI/AAAAAAAA7n0/ug3zCShqAZE/s1600-h/Flooding%252520CHP%252520Office%252520San%252520Rafael%252520-%2525201945%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Flooding CHP Office San Rafael - 1945" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-6XbcGBj1lSQ/VKnZbEfrZ5I/AAAAAAAA7n8/3jhzwotUGZA/Flooding%252520CHP%252520Office%252520San%252520Rafael%252520-%2525201945_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="547" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Flooding CHP Office San Rafael - 1945" width="662" /></a>Gene Penningtonhttps://plus.google.com/101641436202990214526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57639014083502389.post-8142726718533966142014-12-11T08:23:00.001-08:002015-01-21T22:32:09.172-08:00History Watch: “Well….. That’s a Deep Subject”<span style="font-family: Tahoma;">History Watch:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">"Well…..That’s a Deep Subject" </span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">In 1886 a group of businessmen from San Rafael and San Francisco put plans together to build the best hotel in the nation.&nbsp; They chose a 21 acre site in San Rafael boarded by Irwin Street, Grand Avenue, Belle Avenue and Watt Avenue.&nbsp; In 1888 the five story, 200 room Hotel Rafael was completed and opened to the public. <br />&nbsp; <br />The hotel boasted tennis courts, croquet, bowling greens, a stable, a maze for kids to play in and a 135 foot observation tower.&nbsp; Room rates ranged from $1.50 to $15 a night.&nbsp; Dinner could be bought for $1.50 and there were dances every Saturday night.&nbsp; In the early days the hotel flourished and it was indeed a wonderful place to stay.&nbsp; As the automobile became popular, the hotel lost business and it closed in 1909.&nbsp; It was re-opened several years later by new investors and it was used as a hospital during the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic that killed more people than World War I. <br />&nbsp; <br />On the afternoon of July 29, 1928 the hotel caught fire and burned to the ground in three hours.&nbsp; A disgruntled employee was arrested a short time later after he admitted to setting the fire.&nbsp; After the hotel burned, developers bought the land and they started to build houses on the site.&nbsp; </span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">On a midwinter afternoon in 1933, San Rafael Special Police Officer Sebastian Julius Serff was on foot patrol of the area where only a few homes had been built.&nbsp; During his patrol, Officer Serff stepped on a rotten plank that had been used to cover up one of the abandoned wells that was on the property. <br />&nbsp; <br />Officer Serff fell through the planks and he plunged into the water at the bottom of the well.&nbsp; Officer Serff, who was shaken but alive, knew that he was in trouble as no one had seen him fall and there was no way he could get himself out.&nbsp; He was, however, able to get most of his body out of the frigid water by wedging his back and legs against both sides of the well and by hanging onto a pipe. <br />&nbsp; <br />Officer Serff yelled for help, but no one could hear him as it was an area that only had a few houses that were occupied.&nbsp; Getting weak and cold, Officer Serff came up with an idea that saved his life.&nbsp; He pulled out his service revolver, which had been submerged in the water and he prayed that it would still work. <br />&nbsp; <br />Officer Serff started firing rounds up out of the well while yelling for help.&nbsp; The gunfire attracted the attention of several residents who went out to investigate.&nbsp; They located Officer Serff and they immediately called the San Rafael Fire Department and the San Rafael Police Department for help. <br />&nbsp; <br />Fire Crews arrived and they lowered ropes into the well, but it was no easy task rescuing Officer Serff as they had to pull him straight up at a 90 degree angle and matters were complicated by the fact that Officer Serff weighed in excess of 300 pounds.&nbsp; Wet and tired, Officer Serff was finally rescued from a watery grave.&nbsp; Officer Serff died in 1939 of a heart attack in his home after attending church.&nbsp; He was 73 years old and he served with the San Rafael Police Department for 25 years.&nbsp; His ordeal in the well was thought to be a contributing factor to his death as he had been in ill health for several years.&nbsp; He was given a full police funeral at St. Raphael's Church. <br />&nbsp; <br />Attached is a photo of the Hotel Rafael taken in the 1880’s during it finest days.&nbsp; If you drive to the intersection of Irwin and Belle Avenue you can still see the iron gates that were at the entrance to one of the finest hotels built during its time.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Copyright 2014 Harry Barbier –All Rights Reserved</span><br /><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-TBxGACyO9hA/VInFBJl2ioI/AAAAAAAA7kM/gGJi4thTBvY/s1600-h/Hotel%252520Rafael%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Hotel Rafael" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-8jhqr-ajy50/VInFCNUFigI/AAAAAAAA7kU/jdOLK6FQlJI/Hotel%252520Rafael_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="484" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Hotel Rafael" width="699" /></a>Gene Penningtonhttps://plus.google.com/101641436202990214526noreply@blogger.com0